Defusing a Human Bomb
by little dumpling
Summary: What if Casey were to have his way in the first episode? Chuck has to learn to cope when he is taken away from LA and stuck in an underground bunker with Major Casey. Slash. Casey/Chuck.
1. Chapter 1

Title: Defusing a Human Bomb, Chapter 2

Pairing: Chuck/Casey

Rating: T for now, M in the future

Disclaimer: I disclaim owning any rights or making any money off Chuck... also, I do not make any money off of this piece of pure fiction.

Summary: Chuck has to learn to cope when he is taken away from LA and stuck in an underground bunker with Major Casey.

* * *

Thanks to _ladyofpride _for helping me persuade my muse to come back… :D

* * *

**Chapter 1**

"…I'm the one remembering your secrets, which means you have to listen to me. Both of you." Chuck's eyes flickered between the agents. "And right now? I'm gonna go home."

"No your not," Casey grabbed his arm angrily. Letting Chuck go meant failing his mission, Casey never failed a mission. "Nah uh."

Chuck quickly forced his arm from Casey's grip. "You," Chuck pointed at each agent in turn. "You need me." Chuck turned to walk away.

Casey raised his eyebrow, and grabbed Chuck's arm again. "Not as much as you need me not to put a bullet through your head."

"Casey-" Sarah said urgently. "We can figure something out, we-"

"Look Walker. I have permission to kill _anyone_ that gets in my way, including you. And I know for a fact, you have been recalled." Casey looked stonily to Sarah.

Chuck shuttered, and let the large man drag him towards the nearest building.

Sarah sighed behind them and began to follow. "Fine." She said sadly. "As long as you let me tag along."

Casey ignored her and flipped out his cell purposely, hitting a speed dial. The other end was answered on the first ring. "Blue-Peter requesting air evac immediately. 06-92-23." Casey snapped into the phone.

* * *

The walk through the building and up the elevator was tense. And Chuck couldn't help the tears that clouded his eyes. His life was over. And the last five years had been wasted. Instead of doing something useful, he had drifted. And while he'd had good times with his best friend and wonderful sister, he hadn't told them enough how much he cared. He hadn't shown them how much they meant to him. And now he'd probably never see them again.

The three waited in silence for transportation, the atmosphere around them tense. After only a few minutes Chuck felt his tears spill down his cheeks, knowing that now he had started, he couldn't stop. Letting his body quiver, Chuck tried desperately to hide his quiet sobs against his sleeve.

Lifting his head slowly, Chuck wiped his nose quickly across his sleeve.

"Wh-what's gonna happen to me?" He asked quietly.

"We won't know for sure until we receive orders." Casey told him emotionlessly.

Chuck nodded. "Am I gonna die?" He added with a gulp, "Will I ever see my friends and family again?"

"No, and no."

Chuck felt the tears thicken, and quickly covered his sobbing mouth again. 'Oh God, I am never going to see Ellie again. I am never going to be able to tell her how much I love her.'

The next few minutes were spent in more uncomfortable silence as Chuck distantly heard a chopper approach. Closing in on his own thoughts, Chuck watched the situations change around him with little interest. First they were transported to an airfield; put on a jet and buckled in for an immediate take-off.

Apparently, Casey had been able to commandeer an FBI plane on short notice, so the only occupants on the plane were a skeleton crew consisting of a pilot, co-pilot, and an FBI agent.

* * *

The tedious five-hour flight spun by, and before he knew it, Chuck was being escorted from the plane to a waiting NSA car and driven to the NSA building where apparently, both Casey and Sarah's bosses were waiting.

Chuck had never felt so numb, so helpless in all his life. Everything he cared about, everyone he loved was now on the other side of the country, and he would never see them again. And although Casey had denied his imminent death, Chuck wasn't sure who to trust any more.


	2. Chapter 2

Title: Defusing a Human Bomb, Chapter 2

* * *

Previously:

_Chuck had never felt so numb, so helpless in all his life. Everything he cared about, everyone he loved was now on the other side of the country, and he would never see them again. And although Casey had denied his imminent death, Chuck wasn't sure who to trust any more._

* * *

Chuck sat quietly as Casey and Sarah passionately discussed Chuck's future with their bosses. Nothing mattered anymore to him. Who cared which agency took hold of him, it was all over.

Seeing and getting to know the agents in such a short time, Chuck would prefer to go with Sarah. If the rest of the CIA employees were anything like her, he wouldn't mind being in there custody. Just meeting Casey, Chuck secretly wondered if he slept on the floor to avoid an attachment to comfort.

Twiddling his thumbs, Chuck stared at the pattern in the carpet; it didn't matter where he went. Maybe the NSA would torture him, and he might not mind that. Pain might make him forget his sister's haunted eyes when they were told their mother was not coming back. Would she make that face when she was told of his 'death'? Maybe she could hate him for leaving so suddenly. It would make it a lot easier for her to cope with their permanent separation.

The room felt suddenly still and Chuck bobbed his head up. All four agents were staring at him, causing him to squirm uncomfortably in his seat. They must have finished their argument.

Looking at each face in turn, Chuck tried to decipher what had happened. The older man looked unemotional, Sarah looked a little distressed, Casey looked angry, and the older woman with many badges looked, was that… pity in her eyes?

* * *

The two agents had been arguing for a good twenty minutes before their bosses began to feel impatient.

"Casey, Walker!" General Beckman commanded. "That is enough bickering." She paused and looked sternly from one to the other. "Sometimes you two are like children!"

CIA Director Graham chuckled.

"Sorry General." Casey lowered his head in respect.

Sarah rolled her eyes, however did the NSA get their agents to become such obedient little lap dogs. She smirked to herself before tuning back into the conversation.

"Director Graham and I reached a decision before you arrived," The Commanding General of the NSA spoke. "Bartowski is to be placed in a bunker under the care of the NSA."

"But-" Sarah interrupted.

The General narrowed her eyes, silencing the CIA agent. "We will allow you some visitation, Agent Walker, as you seem to gave already grown strangely attached to him. But _we_ will be scheduling the visitation."

Sarah sighed and nodded. It was more than she could have hoped for in the situation.

Casey stepped forward, now that it seemed that the General had finished. "Now that that's settled, I would like my next assignment. I am anxious to get back into the field."

The General sighed. He was not going to like this part. "Agent Casey, you have been assigned to be the intersects handler. You will be accompanying him to the bunker. The only time you will be allowed to leave is for short close proximity assignments. But Bartowski's safety will be your number one mission."

Casey's eyes narrowed, nose wrinkled, jaw clenched, and lips pursed. For someone who rarely showed emotion, his face was giving quite an impression.

Knowing he wouldn't speak out at a commander, the General supplied the answer. "Agent Casey, handle this case with care, and when this is over, you may be looking at years of picking your own assignments."

His face relaxing ever so slightly, Casey nodded, the anger still slightly apparent.

What kind of a life would this leave the man who had unwillingly stumbled across a world of spies and danger, the General thought as she turned to look at the man in question. She hated the haunted look of sadness that met her own stern gaze.

The General shook the feeling off, in war, there was always casualties.


	3. Chapter 3

Title: Defusing a Human Bomb, Chapter 3

* * *

The numbness stayed as Chuck was taken back to another unmarked SUV and hugged tightly by Sarah.

"Don't worry Chuck," She whispered, "Everything will be alright. And before you know it, I'll be by for a visit."

Chuck nodded blankly and got into the open SUV. The tinted windows muted the morning dawn peaking up from the eastern sky, letting Chuck believe even the sun felt subdued this morning.

Casey got into the drivers seat next to him, and put the running car into drive. It was only then Chuck realized they were alone in the car. As if Casey had read his thoughts, he spoke.

"Only a few people are privileged to know where I am taking you, so we are going to be taking this trip alone."

"Privileged?" Chuck choked out quietly. Did they even consider him a human being anymore? Or was he just a highly sought piece of information?

The two feel silent, and for the rest of the trip, Chuck let himself stare out the window.

* * *

Finally the car stopped. The trip could have been thirty minutes or three hours; Chuck had no idea how long it had taken, or where they were for that matter.

They had stopped in front of large iron wrought security gates. Soldiers in thick body armor and helmets patrolled the area. Fear ran through Chuck, what kind of facility would he be living in? Would he ever see the light of day again?

Casey had rolled down his window and was talking quietly to a guard, showing him his I.D. and a folder of paperwork.

Finally the guard stepped away, and with a nod, a distant buzz sounded and the gates began to open.

* * *

The building was a three-story historical factory. Without knowing its affiliation with the NSA, Chuck would have just assumed it a well guarded piece of history.

At the door of the building, Casey met with an official looking man, and with a few words followed him inside with a quick motion to Chuck.

The building was more than what met the eye, but entering it, Chuck was started with the picture before him. The inside of the building had been gutted and filled with cold white hallways often associated with hospitals. They were led down a left passage, then right, through a door, a left, a right, through another door, another right… soon Chuck felt dizzy, knowing without help, he could never find his way back out of the maze of unmarked hallways.

The trio finally stopped in front of another set of glass doors. But instead of just a security card swipe, like the doors before, they were confronted with a pass code, retina scan, and two security card swipes. Chuck was further surprised when Casey pulled out a security card of his own.

Behind the glass doors was an industrial elevator with cameras mounted at every angle around the metal doors.

The suit with them waved at a camera face-on, and after a few seconds, the doors chimed open.

The elevator ride down was quiet, too quiet for Chuck's unnerved taste. The further the elevator traveled down, the harder he sunk his nails into his palm nervously. By the time the elevator stopped, little trickles of blood were trailing over his fingers and dropping silently to the floor.

* * *

The elevator opened into another atrium, empty except for a large desk, currently occupied, and another set of doors, this time fashioned out of heavy looking metal.

The suit stopped at the desk and began to talk with the heavy-set man seated there. After a few minutes of discussion, the man stood from the desk and pulled out yet another security card. The two unknown men used their cards on the reader, and opened the obviously heavy door.

"Agent Casey," the suit spoke. "This is my stop, and beyond these doors is yours." He motioned to the small gap opened. "Doctor Rolf has been informed of your coming, and will brief you on the rest."

Casey nodded and took a hold of Chucks arm, dragging him towards the door. The room they entered was different than the hallways they had moved through. It was large, painted the color of a soothing beige, well lit, filled with a few desks, offices rimming the walls, three hallways branching out of the room.

A man in a white coat approached them easily. "You must be Agent Casey," The man nodded before turning to Chuck, "And you must be Mr. Bartowski." He paused and gave

Chuck a small smile. "Welcome to your new home, Mr. Bartowski. I am Doctor Rolf, and you'll be getting to know me quite well over the next few weeks."

Chuck blinked at the man standing before him. His smile was easy, and his demeanor non-threatening. He was of average height, pale skin, balding, with wire-frame glasses that accentuated his small eyes squinting from his bright smile. This was the first person to talk to him since he had arrived, let alone even look at him.

"This must be a little overwhelming for you, huh." The doctor addressed him. "I bet you're exhausted."

Chuck nodded uneasily, not trusting his voice.

"Hungry?" The doctor asked.

Chuck shook his head. All he wanted was to have a chance to sit down for a few minutes.

"Alright," The doctor turned slightly to the right and motioned for a woman sitting at a desk a few feet away. "Olivia, would you take this gentleman to his new room while I debrief Agent Casey?"

The woman nodded and slowly approached Chuck, as if he were a wild animal. "Sir," She bobbed her head. "My name is Olivia. Would you follow me please?"

Chuck nodded, following her as she headed towards the hallway at the end of the room. She opened the door with a key card, and held it open for him. Chuck stopped and bit his lip fearfully. Turning, Chuck cast his gaze on where Casey was standing with the doctor.

"Don't worry," Olivia said, reading his mind. "You'll see Agent Casey soon enough. First you can get some rest, it must have been a long trip."

Chuck lowered his head and edged slowly through the door. It wasn't as if he liked Casey, but he didn't know anyone else here, and everything seemed a little frightening. It was nice to see a familiar face, even if it wasn't so friendly. Olivia closed the door behind her, and circled around him.

"Come on," she tried to smile, "Let me take you to your room."


	4. Chapter 4

Title: Defusing a Human Bomb, Chapter 4

* * *

Chuck opened his heavy eyes to an unfamiliar room and blinked. Was he dreaming? Was he hallucinating? Did Morgan and him drink too much again? The walls surrounding him were white to a point of sterile, the soft light made the luminescent paint glow eerily.

Chuck sat up on the strangely comfortable large white bed and squinted. "Where," Chuck breathed, "Where am I?"

Standing Chuck moved to the door in the south wall and looked out a small window. The hallway was just as white and clinical looking, the lighting stronger and much more artificial. Across the hall was a door painted a white that made it blend into the pallid wall. Opening the door quietly Chuck peered down each side of the hallway… As if the world had stopped, the hallway was completely empty, the corridor broke off into corridors on his left hand side, and stretching far to his right, the other side did the same. The corridor itself was long with over a dozen doors similar to the one across from him.

Anxiously Chuck stepped out of the room and closed the door behind him. With that click of the door, activity seemed to burst out of the white hallway. Two men in white coats appeared at the right end of the hallway, chatting to each other quietly. A large man in black stepped in from the left, and the door across the hall from him suddenly opened.

The three men seemed content on ignoring him, and walked by him in different directions. Meanwhile a woman had stepped out of the door across and had begun to stare curiously at him.

Chuck turned his head uneasily to the right, trying to avoid the intense stare. Her stare shot through him, and he tried to shrug of the uncomfortable feeling; it was as if she knew everything about him. Chuck felt more than saw her cross the hall and stand at his left, inspecting him closely.

Sighing, Chuck turned and eyed the woman. She was tall and chubby. She had a friendly smile that adorned a warm face. She looked a bit younger than him, and he wondered again what this place was, and why he was there.

"Hi," She spoke softly, the surroundings strangely demanding a hushed voice. "I'm Kirsty."

Chuck looked down at his hands and debated whether to ignore or reply to her. Curiously, he opened his clenched fists and stared down at his open palms. They were covered in small fingernail shaped wounds.

With that, everything flooded back. Leaving LA, the heartbreaking trip to DC, with each second feeling his heart sink lower in his chest. The imposing CIA building, another silent trip, and the entrance to what, he could only presume to guess, was an underground bunker.

He blinked as all of the fear; anguish, hopelessness and miserable feelings came flooding back. He had never realised before one could feel so lost, feel so many emotions in one day.

He raised his head and met the woman's eyes. The curious look had returned, but now it held deep sorrow, as if she knew his thoughts, his plight.

For the first time he really studied the woman beside him. She was clothed in a simple white dress with long sleeves that ended at her pale knees. Her face was pale, most likely due to long periods of time without sun, sharp bronze framed glasses sat on her nose, and her hair was pulled back into a ponytail. Everything about her appearance screamed patient, where as, at least he was still in his jeans and tee shirt. Her face, while kind had nothing spectacular about it, and Chuck was sure, if he had seen her in a crowd, his glance would pass her right by.

She seemed to accept his studied gaze, and finally nodded in the long silence. "The clothes here aren't much to look, huh. Don't worry," She smiled sadly, "You'll get used to it."

Chuck narrowed his eyebrows and frowned in consideration. If this was his new home, would he ever get used it?

"Come on," She spoke again, "I bet your hungry. It's nearly one. And, after lunch I'll give you the tour." Chuck nodded, putting a hand on his stomach, lunch sounded good.

She smiled and grabbed his arm, "Come on, this way to the dinning area." She turned and began to lead him to the end of the hallway.

* * *

What she had said was "the dinning area," was a medium large room filled with four round tables. There were a few people sitting finishing their meals, but the room was mostly empty. She led him to a large open window that looked into a large very clean kitchen. An older woman approached the window and greeted them.

"How are you today Kirsty?"

Kirsty sighed, "Tired, I was up all night with Randy." The woman shook her head, and sighed.

Chuck seemed to be missing something; he wished he knew more about these people.

The woman turned to Chuck and smiled. "You must be new. I'm Susan, but you can call me Susie."

Kirsty saved him from being polite and introducing himself, "He arrived a few hours ago. Got the room across from mine."

The fifty something woman giggled. "I hope you're a deep sleeper."

Kirsty narrowed her eyes. "Thanks, Susie." She frowned and then leaned slowly against the wall. "So what's on the menu today?"

"Lasagna, fresh Caesar salad, hot banana muffins, and thick roast beef sandwiches."

Once they had ordered and received their plates, Kirsty lead him to a table that two young boys were sitting at. A dark haired boy, not older than 12 was talking excitedly to a little blonde boy to his right.

The dark haired boy paused mid-sentence and stared at them as they sat.

"Hey guys, this is my new friend," Kirsty gestured to him. "This is Raymond and Thomas."

"Ray," the dark haired boy hissed.

Kirsty rolled her eyes and turned back to Chuck, "Don't mind him, he's a little cranky today, call him whatever you please." She paused and shot Ray a dirty look, "Raymond also has the room to the right of yours."

Chuck nodded. "Nice to meet you."

Ray stood, "Come on Tommy, we're done here anyways." Ray strode out of the room purposely. The little blonde boy looked nervously at the two across from him and scurried out behind the other.

Kirsty turned to him and smiled. "Sorry. Ray gets a little antsy around new people. He's really quite nice once you get to know him."

Chuck nodded. It seemed all he ever did in this new place was listen and nod. It was time for some of his questions to be answered.

* * *

The two of them had finished their lunches, while the rest of the room had cleared out. Now Chuck sat next to Kirsty studying her closely, while she sat drawing on the table top with her finger.

Something had been bugging Chuck ever since he had met her, and he decided to voice this thought first. "Kirsty?"

"Mmhm?" She turned her head to stare at the wall past him; at the same time her finger switched directions on the table.

"Why haven't you, or anyone else asked my name? I mean, you all introduce yourself, but no one has even seemed interested in my name."

Kirsty looked back at the table. "Do you know why you're here?" She asked. "Do you know why were all here?"

He stared at her, unsure of the answer.

She looked at him suddenly, her face very serious. "You're here, because the government thinks there is something about you that is valuable. You have something, or you are something, that makes you more vital to them than 99 of the rest of the country." She paused. "That's why were all here."

She looked down at the table again, letting silence fill the room for a few minutes. Chuck processed that information. The intersect was significant to the government, even with the little time it had been in his brain, he had seen it's importance.

"I haven't asked you your name, because I'm not supposed to know your name. Just like you're not supposed to know mine." She turned her head and made eye contact with him, so intense, he blinked in surprise. "My real name isn't Kirsty." She paused again. "I wasn't sure if you had talked about that with the Doctor and your handler yet. They are the only ones in this bunker that will know your real name."

Now that she had said her piece, she seemed ready to move on. Standing she motioned to the door.

"Now lets go find your handler; I'll give you a tour later."

Chuck nodded stonily and followed her out the door.


	5. Chapter 5

Title: Defusing a Human Bomb, Chapter 5

* * *

"…And we will expect you to keep these things in mind while you're here." Dr. Rolf looked at Casey from across his desk. "Do you have any questions?"

Casey frowned. "Not really, I've been here before," He said casually.

The Doctor winced, "Yes, Sandra. That was an unfortunate situation." The Doctor paused. "Does that affect you at all now…?"

Casey huffed, "Now don't go trying to psychoanalyse me here. I am not the one you need to be coercing information from."

The Doctor sighed, "Our process here is voluntary, Agent Casey. I think you know quite well how we work."

Casey narrowed his eyes. "We're not here to talk about me, _Doctor_, we are here to talk about the intersect."

The Doctor closed his eyes. "Please don't call him that, he is a person."

Casey's eyes, if it was even possible, narrowed even further. "The value of his life is small in comparison to the computer locked in his brain."

"Agent Casey, may I remind you that, you are to be his handler? General Beckman specifically requested you for this job, which I personally, cannot understand. You have not always had the best rapport with your fellow man."

"Yes well, the intersects handler only needs to be two things."

The Doctors brow wrinkled, "Really and what are those?"

"Ready to kill those that would harm the intersect, and ready to kill the intersect."

* * *

Kirsty lead Chuck back through the maze of hallways, and soon they were passing through the hallway Chuck had woken up too. Now he wasn't even sure which door had been the one he had exited.

Kirsty read his face easily and laughed, "Don't worry, it doesn't take long to figure out the layout. Anywhere we can't go has a key card lock, so don't worry about getting in trouble."

Chuck wasn't sure how that was supposed to reassure him. He was locked in an underground bunker and he wasn't even allowed into certain areas. Let alone, he wasn't sure he'd be able to tell which room was his, even if he walked right into it.

The two trudged forward, occasionally passing people. Kirsty often nodded or spoke greetings; she seemed to know everyone here.

Chuck felt a little self-conscious walking along the halls. He seemed to stick out like a sore thumb. Not only were the other inhabitants all wearing white, but also almost all of them seemed under the age of 25. He began to wonder how old Kirsty was. He had first guessed 26, but maybe she was just as young as most of them.

The two easily reached the room filled with offices and desks that Chuck remembered from the night before. He followed meekly behind Kirsty as they made their way to one of the bigger offices. As the two got closer, Chuck realised he could hear raised voices.

A first voice spoke bitterly, but Chuck could not place it. Then another voice interrupted, this time Chuck recognised the voice easily.

"Don't tell me how to do my job, _Doctor_." Casey was saying loudly back. "I don't tell you how to do yours!"

Chuck turned his head to the side. Were they talking about him? Chuck tried to force the thought from his mind and read the plague beside the door. _Doctor M. Rolf. MD PHD. Psychiatry MA. Psychology._

Kirsty turned and grinned at him as she raised her fist to knock. "Those two always fight when Agent Casey's here."

Chuck started, Casey had been here before. Obviously quite a few times for Kirsty to know him.

Kirsty's knock stopped the two raised voices.

"Yes?" The Doctor's weary voice asked.

"It's Kirsty."

"Oh, come in Kirsty." The voice asked through the door.

Chuck was not expecting the scene before him. Casey sat slumped in an overstuffed brown leather chair, arms crossed, legs spread, a scowl adorning his face, his eyes downcast. The Doctor sat wearily in his Chair across the desk, eyes closed. Chuck had expected them to be literally at each others throats, or at least glaring fiercely at each other. With what Chuck had seen of Casey, he would be surprised if it had come to violence.

"Hi Casey," Kirsty said in a sugary voice to the angry agent, "Long time no see. And here I thought you'd forgotten me."

Casey's scowl disapated as he turned his head to look at kirsty. "Oh, right, 4-7-1."

This time it was Kirsty's turn to scowl, "You never change." She turned to the doctor and pouted. "We'll I thought you might want to see him eventually." She motioned to Chuck.

The Doctor opened his eyes and smiled. "Thanks Kirsty."

Kirsty nodded and then turned to Chuck, "Well good luck," She paused, "And maybe when we see each other again, you'll be able to introduce yourself to me." She smiled easily before turning to leave, shutting the door behind her.

"Mr. Bartowski, please sit down," the Doctor requested politely. "Let me explain our facility to you."

* * *

"Mr. Bartowski, as you know, you have some very valuable information locked inside your mind."

Chuck nodded hesitantly; he didn't see where this was going.

"Because of the nature of this information, it is vital to our public security. Therefore, a few choice leaders decided to send you to this facility, a place where you can be safe, and we can try to extract the information." The Doctor paused and shuffled some papers on his desk before continuing, "Now there are many people internationally and nationally, who would do _anything_ to get a hold of you."

Chuck blinked and waited for the Doctor to continue.

"This is why your family, friends and the world, for that matter, need to believe you're dead."

Chuck's eyes widened. "Ellie thinks I'm dead?" He whispered sadly. Chuck had figured this is what would happen, but hearing it allowed confirmed it. Chuck felt his heart in his throat.

"I'm sorry," the Doctor said sympathetically. Silence filled the room as the Doctor waited for Chuck to process the information.

Five long silent minutes later, Chuck let his eyes meet Dr. Rolf's. "There's just one thing I don't understand…"

The Doctor nodded and waited for him to continue.

"If this is a top secret government program, how come I haven't flashed on anything?"

"Flashed?" The Doctor asked.

"Uh, seen information and secrets about this place in my head."

The Doctor looked at Chuck with great interest. "What are these 'flashes' triggered by? Are they auditory, visual or kinetic clues?"

"Uhm, visual and auditory, I guess."

The Doctor smiled at Chuck as if he had just been given a new toy… and it was Chuck that was the toy. The Doctor shook his head, immediately hiding his interest behind a serious face. "Probably because there are no records that this facility even exists. In fact, legally, I don't exist either."

The fear Chuck had felt from the sudden interest was beginning to fade and he nodded.

Trying to push his interest out the room, he turned to the stoic Casey, who Chuck had even forgotten was in the room. "Why so quite Agent Casey? Cat got your tongue?"

Was Chuck just imagining this, or did the Doctor just raise his eyebrow playfully.

Chuck watched with interest as Casey's brow furrowed. "Nope. I just don't have anything to say. I figure if you don't have anything intelligent to say, you might as well not waste the air."

The Doctors forehead wrinkled in surprise. "Oh come on, you are not still sore about what I said earlier."

Chuck suddenly felt uncomfortable. It was as if he was intruding on a private conversation. Did Casey and the Doctor have a previous history beyond this facility? That strange thought brought even more bizarre thoughts. Chuck shook his head violently. Even if Casey did like men, Chuck couldn't see Casey going for the Doctor. And Chuck had a feeling; that Casey only had what he wanted.

Chuck shook his head again, this time successfully expelling his thoughts and turned back to what Casey was saying.

Casey's face was set into a scowl. "-Look Doctor, we may have differences of opinion about how I do my job, but we both have a job to do."

Dr. Rolf nodded and gave a small smiled, "I am sorry about what I said, I was in no way attacking your person."

Casey nodded coldly.

"Alright," the Doctor said turning back to Chuck, "If you don't have anymore questions, how about we go over some of the house rules and get you settled in."

Chuck nodded quickly; he was more than ready to get out of this office and away from these two men. He needed some time to think… Seeing Casey and the Doctor react to each other had created a strange confusion in Chuck… He had felt, no he couldn't of… Yes, he had felt jealous…


	6. Chapter 6

Title: Defusing a Human Bomb, Chapter 6

* * *

Here's a list of the key bunker players we've met, and their made-up ages. J. Casey (46), Chuck B. (27), Kirsty (?), Ray (12), Tommy (10), and Doctor M. Rolf (?). (Kirsty and the Doctor are still unknown, but we'll find out chapter 7!)

* * *

Chapter 6

Doctor Rolf calmly explained a few of the simple common sense house rules to Chuck. Breakfast was 8-9am, lunch 12-1pm, dinner 6-7.30pm, and if you missed them, the kitchen was open, but you had to fend for yourself. Anything brought into the bunker was checked thoroughly by security first; all residents were expected to wear the clothes provided; residents must be in their rooms by 11pm each night unless they had permission from Doctors Rolf or Hammond; and no resident may enter the off-limit zones unless accompanied by either Doctors Rolf or Hammond and their handler.

Chuck nodded as the Doctor covered each point. It seemed this Dr. Hammond was Dr. Rolf's second in command, and Chuck began to wonder when he would met him until Dr. Rolf unintentionally answered his question.

"Now Mr. Bartowski, Dr. Hammond has clearance to see and know everything that goes on in this facility, except one thing, you. You may meet or see him in passing all over this facility, but if Dr. Hammond ever contacts you for more than a 'Hello' or 'How are you', you are to report it to me." The Doctor paused studying Chuck seriously, and Chuck gulped. "It has nothing to do with Dr. Hammond, I trust him implicitly, but with everything according to you, Agent Casey and myself are the only ones in this place that are allowed to know anything real about you."

"But-" Chuck tried to interrupt quietly.

"I realise this will be hard for you," The Doctor continued, "But, you will be living under an assumed identity for the rest of your life." The Doctor stopped, leaned back in his chair and examined Chuck carefully.

Chuck stared at his hands and let his heavy eyelids close. Would he never get a chance to be normal again?

* * *

After a good ten minutes of silence and contemplation, Casey cleared his throat beside him. "Let's finish this."

"Right," The Doctor said slowly, "Now Mr. Bartowski, we need to give you your new name and identity."

"What?" Chuck's gaze flitted between the two men, "At this very moment?"

The Doctor looked sympathetic, "I'm sorry."

Chuck liked his name. It was the only thing he had left that connected him to his sister. "Then at least can I pick it?" He hoped to pick something close to his own name.

"I'm sorry." The Doctor said in a firm but sad voice. "Here," The Doctor passed a folder over his desk to Chuck.

Chuck opened the folder slowly and stared down at his new birth certificate and drivers licence.

* * *

The day had trudged by, and all Casey wanted to do was have a long sleep. He hadn't been able to have a wink since he had shot Bryce Larkin, and that was three days ago. The silences between explanations in the Doctors office had tested his endurance.

The Doctor seemed to sense his waning energy, as much as he tried to hide it and shoed him off, once the three of them had discussed the intersects new identity and back-story.

The Doctor had promised to take care of the intersect, but Casey new better. Once he had cleared the hall he quickly sought out an old companion.

"Agent Sakamoto," Casey said as he approached the smaller agent.

"Agent Casey," The man nodded.

Casey liked the Japanese man, and they had had to back each other up on more than one occasion. "I was wondering if I could ask a favour…"

The agent smiled and nodded his head, "For you Casey, anything within reason."

Casey gave a small smile back, "I'm handling a new kid, and he's kind of skittish. He needs a constant watch, but there's somewhere I need to be for the rest of the day."

The agent nodded, "Sure, not like my protégé needs much guarding anyways." The man paused, "But then you owe me one." He finished and grinned.

Casey grinned back, well, as much as he could grin back. "Anytime, Randy, anytime."

* * *

Casey hit his new bed heavily, and set his alarm clock to go off at nine the next morning. The Intersect could handle breakfast on his own, Casey reasoned, toeing his boats off and stripping his shirt without sitting up. Rolling over, Casey felt his eyes close, and his conscious begin to fade…

* * *

After Casey left, the Doctor mentioned a mountain of paperwork and handed him off to Olivia to be shown around. Soon a small vital man joined them, volunteering his name as, 'Agent Sakamoto'.

Olivia took him on the grand tour, and the complex that had at first seemed small and suffocating, now intimidated him. There was a pool and track slash weight room (Chuck wondered how they had been able to make a pool underground exactly), a library, while not massive, much bigger than Chuck would have imagined, and an large entertainment room stuffed with comfy couches, TV's, and a billiards table. She also showed him the large washrooms with private showers, and of course the dinning area. For how many inhabitants the facility seemed planned for, there were few people milling about, and most of them were employees hired to keep the place running.

"How many people live here?" He asked his guide.

The woman scrunched up her face while she thought. "Hmm, probably just under 20 at the moment, then of course 30 staff members and over 40 security staff, not including the troops stationed outside the walls."

Chuck blinked. "All that for 20 people?"

Olivia smiled for the first time, "All for 20 people." She paused, "But our group does fluctuate, we've had over 35 before and under 10 another time, our facility is big enough to hold 85 regular residents."

The two walked down another hallway, as the Agent trailed behind. "Now here," Olivia spoke, "Is our last stop." She motioned him into a door. Inside the door was a plain room, with a counter, two chairs and two other doors. An older woman in her 70's sat behind the counter, almost reminding him of Ellie's favourite drycleaners.

"Hello dear," the lady said, "You must be the new boy, I heard you were coming." The lady stood and moved to the door behind her. "You just sit down, I'll gather your affects." The two of them sat.

"Affects?" Chuck asked turning to Olivia.

Olivia nodded, "This is a storeroom for the residents, if you need something like soap or new clothes this is where you come. They give you a weeks worth of clothes, and you come to exchange the dirty clothes for clean clothes at the end of the week."

The lady appeared from the door and rested a large plastic box on the counter, with a smaller box on top and some folded white clothes.

"Come here dear." The lady motioned. Chuck stood and met her at the counter. "This box," she patted the larger one, "Is all your clothes, bring them all back once a week, the box is so you can carry around them easily. This one," she patted the smaller box, "Is full of toiletries, shampoo, soap, razors, and so on. You can come back for more as you run out. And this," She patted the small pile of clothes, "You need to change into this now dear."

Handing Chuck the small bundle, she gestured at the door to his left, "There's a changing room in there. I hope they fit, I guessed your size." She smiled, her blue eyes twinkling.

Chuck locked the door and put the new clothes on. Thick white well fit cotton pants, cotton white tee shirt, white socks and white Nikes. He was a little afraid when he put the Nikes on and they fit perfectly. Shrugging, Chuck folded his clothes sadly. They seemed the last connection to his life, and now they would probably taken too.

When he left the room, the lady did indeed ask for his clothes. Olivia picked up the smaller box for him and with a sad smile led their way out of the room.

* * *

Chucks new room was smaller than he remembered it a few hours ago, but it was still pretty plain. There was a white wardrobe in the right corner of the room, the queen-sized bed in the left, and a small night table beside that. A Chair sat in the right corner close to the door and there was about enough extra room to fit half the size of his bed, excluding room to walk. The furniture, carpet and wall colour was nice, but the room felt empty, it felt impersonal.

After putting away all his new things, Chuck set the white alarm clock, knowing he would otherwise miss breakfast in his new home. Truth be told, he would rather sleep through his new life here, but maybe he would see Kirsty at breakfast. She had been nice to him before, maybe he could get some answers.

* * *

Chuck opened his eyes slowly; they felt heavy, his entire head felt heavy. Trying to life his had to rub his eyes, he realised he felt heavy all over, as if an elephant had sat on him without breaking all of his bones. He seemed to be alone in the room, and groaned. Waking up in a new bed was not pleasant.

The atmosphere of the room itself weighed him down, the darkness slowly creeping into his mind.

Chuck froze. What was that? A nose? There it was again. It sounded like a sniffle. Like a person sniffling. Maybe he wasn't alone…

Chuck sat up and reached over to where the lamp sat on the side table. Switching it on, the light blared violently out of the bulb. A woman's figure stood at the end of the bed, her hands covering her face as she quietly sobbed, dark long hair fell softly down her arms.

"Ellie?" Chuck asked.

Ellie let her hands fall. Tears sparkled on her cheeks in the lamplight, her eyes red and puffy from crying. "Chuck," she whispered.

"Ellie," Chuck said. "What – How did you get here?"

"Chuck," She whispered again "You promised you'd always be here for me."

"Ellie," Chuck felt his eyes cloud. "Ellie, I'm so sorry. I wish I could be with you right now."

Ellie narrowed her eyes. "You promised! You didn't even say goodbye…"

Chuck wanted to jump out of bed and pull her into his arms. But he was too scared to. He was scared she wasn't real, and if he got out of bed, she would disappear. He could never deny himself of her company, so he sat, stock still, watching a woman who didn't have clearance, stand before him.

Her eyes widened again sadly, her voice dropping back into whisper, "I'm burying your body tomorrow Chuck. I am saying goodbye to you for the last time."

"Ellie, no!" He cried, "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry."

His cries fell on deaf ears as she turned her head away from him.

"Ellie, I lov-"

Chuck felt a jolt pass through his body, and opened his eyes. Chuck was lying in his bed, sheets soaked with sweat. The lamp was on.

"Are you okay?" A voice asked.

His eyes snapped up. Kirsty was standing beside his bed, her head cocked to the side.

"Uh yeah," He said, his throat felt dry, his body weak.

"I'm sorry I woke you up, but you were shouting and thrashing in your sleep." She said matter-of-factly. Sitting beside him on the bed, she stroked her hand down his back. "We all have nightmares when we first come," She said softly. "When the psychologist comes to see you, make sure you talk to them," she paused, "they help the dreams fade."

She stood, "I'm going to go back to bed, but if you need anything, I'm just across the hall."

Chuck nodded, and watched she exited, and closed the door softly behind her.

Lying back down Chuck sighed, it was not the first time in the last day and a half that he missed his family, friends and surprisingly, LA.

Turning off the light, he tried to get comfortable. He didn't feel much like sleeping anymore. He could only hope the second half of the night wasn't as heart hardening as the first half.

* * *

Chuck woke up to his alarm clock the next morning and groaned, another day in this bizarre underground world.

After changing from pajamas to clothes, Chuck left his room and headed for the dining room.

At the door he paused and took a deep breathe before pushing it open. There was just under 20 people around the tables, eating breakfast. Chuck guessed breakfast was one of the meals most of the inhabitants took together.

He spotted an empty seat next to Kirsty who currently had her back to him. Getting some breakfast, Chuck made his way to her table and took the empty seat.

Turning as he sat, Chuck realised Kirsty was turned talking excitedly to easily the oldest inhabitant Chuck had seen. The man had dark hair and glasses that tried to mask his brilliant blue eyes. His entire demeanor spoke of fear and little self-esteem; he sat with a slight slouching, a strangely amused smile gracing his face as he watched Kirsty gesture wildly with her hands.

At the end of the story, the man laughed quietly, finally opening his small mouth. "You're crazy, Kirsty."

With a nod and a devious smile, Kirsty finally turned to greet Chuck. "So," She cocked her eyebrow, "Do you have a name, partner?"

Chuck smiled and held out his hand. "Name's Sam, nice to meet you." Her grip was strong, tight and hurt a hell of a lot.

"Nice to meet ya Sam. This here is my friend Lenny," She jabbed her hand at the brunette beside her. Turning to the other man she smiled. "This is the newbie I was telling you about."

Lenny nodded, "Welcome."


	7. Chapter 7

Title: Defusing a Human Bomb, Chapter 7

* * *

The fact that Casey had woken to the blaring sound of an alarm clock, a killer headache and surrounded by an unfamiliar room was only half of the reason he was in a bad mood.

The other half was currently lying on his mussed bed staring at the ceiling.

"Why did we loose touch Casey? All those years and nothing…"

Casey grumbled and pulled his towel tighter around his waist. After a refreshing shower, Casey had returned to his room to dress, to find _him_ on his bed.

"Fuck Malcolm, don't you have something better to do? Like talk to one of your patients?"

Doctor Malcolm Rolf frowned at him from where he was lying. "If that's how you want to play it John, maybe I should write a report on you to General Beckman and ask for someone new to handle Sam."

Swearing under his breath, Casey narrowed his eyes. He may not like this assignment, but no piss-ant little doctor was not going to ruin his good reputation. "You wouldn't." He growled.

The doctor sighed, "No I wouldn't, but I haven't seen you a lot in the last 25 years. Doesn't our past hold any significance to you?"

Casey snorted, and moved to the duffle bag on a chair. "Look Doc, that was a long time ago. I'm a different person now, we have had different lives, and plenty of time to grow apart."

Dr. Rolf moved up to lean on his elbows, giving him the ability to look Casey in the eye. "We both might be different people, but it doesn't change our pasts." He paused and rubbed a hand through his thinning hair.

Casey closed his eyes, and with a moments hesitation replied warily, "Just let me do my job, Tyler. I'm not sure I can take go down that road right now."

The Doctor smiled sympathetically, "I understand Jack." Hopping off the bed, the Doctor let his shoulder brush Casey's as he left the room.

Pushing the duffle bag to the floor, Casey collapsed on the chair. Closing his eyes, Casey moved forward to place his head in his palms. "Rachael," He breathed, "Rachael…"

Seeing Tyler lying on his bed hands behind his head had brought back a flood of memories Casey had tried so hard to keep locked away.

* * *

28 years ago…

_The summer heat buzzed around them as the two teenage boys walked into the darkened room._

"_Fuck Jack, your rooms worse than usual," 18 year-old Tyler laughed as he flopped down onto the messy bed._

"_Yeah well if you have such a problem with it, clean it yourself." Jack shot back picking a dirty shirt from the floor and flinging it at his best friend._

_After a few minutes of teasing and friendly name-calling, a knock had sounded at his door urgently. "Jack, Jack," his mom's voice had sounded anxious._

_Opening the door, Jack eyed his mom curiously. "What is it?"_

"_It's-"_

* * *

"No," Casey shook his head violently; he was not going to relive that moment again. He had relived it too many times over and over in his dreams. "Damnit!" Casey tried to purge the moment from his mind. If only had been able to hand the Intersect off to another agent. His missions here in the past had only been a day or two long, and he had only seen small snippets of his friend. The Doctor had been a mission leader, he had been much too busy to talk to the NSA agent anyway.

Shaking himself out of apathy, Casey pushed his memories aside and dressed quickly in black. After making his bed quickly, Casey left the room in pursuit of his new charge.

* * *

Chuck sat at the table and watched Kirsty quietly browse one of the shelves.

"I'm looking for something specific," She had told him earlier. "Just sit here while I look for it." That had been 15 minutes ago, and she looked no closer to finding her requested book.

Chuck turned back to the magazine before him, looking at screen caps of a new Xbox360 game. Who knew not only did they have every new system and game you could imagine, but they also had gamers guides and game magazines down here.

Maybe this place won't be so bad after all, Chuck thought with a smirk.

Kirsty sat down across from him and slid a book across the table.

"What's this?" Chuck frowned and picked up the book. "E. B. Browning?" He looked up at the woman across from him.

Kirsty gave him a toothy smile and nodded. "I know it's hard when you first come here, and well, Elizabeth Barrett Browning really helped me… I know it's poetry, and may seem a little sappy to you… but it reminded me of my relationships on the outside, my friends, and family, and how they would have wanted me to be safe… no matter the cost…"

Chuck flipped through the book curiously.

"Come on," Kirsty smiled, "Randy brought another game for the Wii yesterday, and I thought you could show me how a master gamer plays."

Chuck held on tightly to the book as they left the silent library, Would Ellie want him here if she thought it would protect him?

* * *

The gloomy frown on Casey's face deepened as he walked down yet another pristinely white hallway. "Where is that kid?" He had checked Sam's room, the pool, the library, the dining hall; where was that lounge again…

Growling to himself, Casey turned another corner and walked smack into…

"Hey!" The child cried from the floor, "What was that for you big brute."

Casey frowned, but helped the kid up, "Watch where your going kid."

The child's eyes narrowed, "I have a name you know, Agent Casey!" The boy folded his arms against his body.

Casey cocked his head and stared down at the kid, he did look familiar. Casey shook his head; this was pointless he needed to find the Intersect. "Damn, where has he gotten to!?"

The kid scowled, "You mean Sam? Are you Sam's handler?"

Casey stared at the kid, "Do you know where he is?"

Pouting, the kid replied, "He's in the lounge with Kirsty. Just through that door…" The kid pointed to a door a few feet behind him.

"Thanks kid," Casey ruffled his hair as he walked by.

Ray growled, staring after Casey with a mixture of hate and admiration.

* * *

"No!" Kirsty cried, "I died again!" Undoing the wrist strap, Kirsty dropped the controller to the couch beside her and pouted. "I don't think I am ever going too play with you again," She stuck out her tongue teasingly.

"Well if you can't handle the heat, get out of the kitchen," Chuck smirked. The last half-hour had been strangely fun. It seemed like he hadn't had a chance to relax in years, when in reality he had joked around and played Call of Duty with Morgan not three days before.

Turning off the system, Chuck turned to Kirsty and smiled. "Thanks."

"For what? It's not like I let you win, I really am this bad at video games."

"No, it's just that-" Chuck stopped mid-sentence, as he heard rather than saw the lounge door fly open.

The two of them turned to see a very angry Casey standing in the doorway.

"I have been looking fucking everywhere for you!" Casey roared.

The anger was practically pouring off of Casey in such a manner, that Chuck half expected him to turn green and begin blowing fire.

"I-uhm-sorry?" Chuck sputtered.

Kirsty sat dazed, as Casey approached the couch and practically vaulted Chuck into mid-air.

Grasping his book tightly, Chuck was propelled out of the room by Casey.

"I'll see ya later!" Kirsty called as they whipped out.

* * *

The two stopped in front of a white door, this door requiring a key card.

Struggling, Chuck managed to pull away. "What's wrong with you!"

Casey growled, showing off his strong, white teeth. "We aren't down here so you can play!"

Chuck's eyebrows twisted in confusion. If he wasn't allowed to enjoy himself, what was he allowed to do?

Casey took a deep breath, trying to remind himself that the kid was not responsible for his bad mood. After a few seconds of deep breathing, Casey opened his eyes and studied the Intersect. Opening his mouth to speak, Casey almost called him Chuck. Strangely, he couldn't think of him as a Sam.

Stop that! He told himself, his name is Sam now, for his own protection.

"Look…" Casey started calmly, "…Sam, one of the reasons you've been brought here, to be guarded is – our government believes you can help… serve your country using the information inside your head."

"But it doesn't just pour out," Chuck frowned. "I don't think I will be able to help."

Casey stared a Chuck for a few silent minutes before taking a deep breath and reaching behind for his back pocket.

Startled, Chuck took a quick step back and covered his head with his arms, expecting Casey to pull out his gun, and give him a nice new hole.

Casey raised an eyebrow to Chuck's reaction and pulled out a keycard.

Chuck dropped his arms ashamed and blinked, "Sorry…"

Shaking off the apology, Casey turned and opened the door.

* * *

Continued soon… Comments? Criticisms?


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Stepping inside the dimly lit room, Chuck heard Casey close the door behind them, and turned to survey his surroundings. The room was, surprise surprise, white and sparsely furnished.

Chuck smirked, "So," Chuck said conversationally, "Who decorated this place, a dog?!" Chuck laughed at his own joke, feeling very pleased with himself, despite how idiotic he sounded.

"What?" Casey's eyebrows rose, making Chuck feel a little bit retarded.

"Well, you know, dogs only see in black and white…" Chuck bit his lip, and turned away, trying to hid his blushing cheeks. Why was it that Casey could so effortlessly make him feel stupid?

Casey rolled his eyes.

"Oh come on," Chuck timidly stood up for himself, "Of course it's not funny now, I had to explain it too you." Chuck huffed and crossed his arms.

"Right." Casey's eyebrow rose playfully.

Chuck blinked. Casey's lips resembled a faint smile… Chuck had never seen Casey smile. But then, Chuck had only seen him when he was forceful and demanding.

Chuck turned away trying to hide his blush, at how strangely turned on seeing Casey smile, and thinking about him being 'forceful' and 'demanding'. Strange, he hadn't gotten those feelings from Casey before… But then, he had been recently been trying to deal with leaving his life and family, and being captured and held against his will by the government…

"So," Chuck cleared his throat, staring ahead at a blank projection screen. "What are we doing in here?"

"Just sit down, you'll find out soon enough." Casey's gruff voice was back.

A chair sat a few feet away, placed almost in the exact center of the room, facing the screen. A table sat off to the right, two more chairs behind it.

Not long after he took a seat in the lonely chair, Chuck heard the door open and close behind him.

"Sorry I'm a little late," Dr. Rolf's voice spoke. "One of the residents was having a little trouble…" Chuck noted how carefully Dr. Rolf avoided the word 'patient'.

Casey snorted rudely, "If slitting your wrists only constitutes a 'little' trouble, what does it take for you to declare it 'a lot' of trouble?"

Chuck turned to see Dr. Rolf give Casey a cold glare. "Agent Casey, I would prefer it if you kept confidential matters to yourself."

It seemed Casey knew a little more than he let on, about the social structure and going on's of this facility.

Casey rolled his eyes. "Fine, can we get on with this then?"

"Right," Dr. Rolf sighed and took the unoccupied seat at the table and set a laptop down onto its surface. Taking a moment, he connected the small machine to a few different cords, a LAN network cable, USB cord and a power source, all seeming to appear from nowhere.

"Okay," Dr. Rolf sat down and turned his attention to Chuck, "So Sam, has Agent Casey explained to you what we're going to be doing in here?"

Chuck shook his head, cranking his neck to see the doctor's face in the dim lighting.

The doctor nodded, "As it is too dangerous to take you on actual assignments; agents who are having trouble with their missions will be forwarding information to us for you to sort through. You will have the responsibility of letting us know the what the information the intersect connects, that way, the intersect can be useful to many agents, without you ever having to leave the security of this building."

Chuck nodded, sounded easy enough.

"Alright now Sam, just relax and watch the screen and tell us anything that comes to mind…" the doctor's voice soothed.

Chuck sat back in the hard, straight-backed chair and watched as images on the screen flickered to life.

People were shown first, Chuck flashed easily on them, information about drug deals through the United States/Mexico boarder flooded out of his mouth. Soon there was blueprints, laundered money serial numbers, safe house contacts, and information about the affects of engineered chemicals lacing the cocaine, flashing through his mind.

By the end of what must have been two hours, going through every single detail that could even be connected with the case, Chuck's head ached and his jaw felt sore from the fast words that spewed out of his mouth.

"All right Sam," the doctor's soothing voice floated through Chuck's tired body. "We're going to stop there."

Chuck lethargically moved his sore head to glance at the doctor. He was bent over the computer, disconnecting cables, turning off the system.

Casey sat to the doctor's side, body language tense in his own hard chair.

The doctor stood, tucking the laptop under his arm, "So Sam, we will be meeting everyday, except Sunday's. Is that all right with you?"

Chuck nodded, what else could he do? Say no? It's not like he had much to do in this facility anyways.

"See you tomorrow Sam," The doctor nodded, "Have a good night," he turned and smiled at Casey.

Casey frowned in response as the doctor slipped out the white door.

"So, what now?" Chuck turned to Casey.

Casey frowned deepened, "What do you mean?"

"Is there anything else you wanted me to do?"

"No. It's about dinnertime, so you may leave. I'll be waking you up at 0800 hours tomorrow, so enjoy your night." He smirked.

Chuck nodded and disappeared through the door the doctor had used.

Slipping on some white cotton pants, Chuck slipped beneath the tightly made sheets. They were cool to touch, while the room was warm to his skin.

Another day had ended in this strange forgot facility, and he wasn't sure how he would feel if he were still here years from now. He new how he felt now at least; confused, lonely, lost. He missed his sister, his friends; he missed his crappy job, his routine. Everything here was quiet, felt muted. And he kept hoping the people around him would jump out of their skins for once, drop out of their apathy.

Pulling a pillow under his head, he thought back over his incredibly strange day. His purpose had be revealed to him, he had met a few people, but nothing seemed to be there, real.

He almost wanted to grasp Casey when the doctor had left earlier, just to make sure at least he was still there.

Casey intrigued him, in a way no one else in this mysterious asylum seemed to. Sure they all had their stories, their sad tales, but Casey's distance, Casey's wall picked at Chuck's interest. There was something about him that he just wanted to get close to, to cross the line with.

Chuck closed his eyes and tried to relax. Two other people sparked his imagination. Kirsty, she was, well there was something very ominous and sad about her… Something he couldn't put his finger on, but wanted too. He liked knowing things about people too much, and at Buy More, it hadn't mattered. Everyone had come to him to tell them their secrets anyways. Of course, that didn't mean he needed to gossip it around, but knowing that other people trusted him with such personal information made him feel a little proud. Plus, he doubted Anna really felt she could tell Jeff, Lester or Morgan about her current boyfriend. Or that Lester could really tell Jeff about how he had gotten drunk without his friend.

Chuck sighed. He liked being the one there for his friends, for his family… And it gave him this strange addiction to knowing peoples secrets.

That morning the cook had told Chuck he'd better be a good sleeper, being so close to Kirsty. What did she do at night that made so much noise?

There was also the doctor. What a mystifying man. He had a connection to Casey, Chuck could feel it, there was something more to those two. The man had practically flirted with Casey. Did that mean Casey was gay? Was the doctor gay?

Chuck rolled over to breathe in the fresh sent of his pillow. He shouldn't be thinking about these things. He often saw things that weren't even there. 'Sleep Chuck,' he told himself, 'Things always have a habit of working themselves out.'


	9. Chapter 9

For my lovely Amy. snuggles you hope you're feeling better!

**Chapter 9**

Chuck blinked into a darkness that felt oppressive. Something had awoken him, what, he wasn't sure.

Flicking on the bedside lamp, Chuck blinked, letting his eyes adjust to the sudden intrusion. The room around him was empty, empty and cold. His alarm clock read 3:47am. What had woken him up?

Pushing away the covers he let his feet hit the thin carpet. His thin socks brushed quietly against the floor as he made his way to the door and opened it.

The hall was lit dimly, probably to conserved power. The hallway was empty; door after door down each side closed tight, silence permeating the air. Only one door one door wasn't closed to tightly.

The door across from his own, Kirsty's door (he reminded himself), was slightly ajar, lamp light spilling softly through the crack.

"Kirsty?" He whispered as he tiptoed across the hall and peeked into her space. "Kirsty?" He stuck his head in, pausing at the scene before him.

Kirsty sat on a white bed, her back against the wall, a child cradled in her arms. Chuck immediately recognised the child as Ray, his dark hair shining in the lamplight. Only, he wasn't really a child. The kid must be 12 or 13, so why was he cuddled so contently in Kirsty's arms?

Kirsty's eyes met his, and she indicated to be quiet with a small 'shh' sound. Untangling herself from the sleeping child, she got off the bed and moved towards him, motioning for him to exit.

Stepping out into the hall, Chuck frowned. "What's going on? Is something wrong?"

Kirsty smiled, "No, nothing out of the ordinary."

Chuck motioned back to the room, "What's going on with him?"

"Well, when I first met Ray, he was 11, and had just come out a horrible situation, one in which his mother and handler were both murdered before his eyes. He wouldn't talk to anyone, not his new handler, not the doctors, not anyone." She paused and looked sadly down the hall. "Doctor Rolfe decided to introduced me to him, hoping he would maybe talk to someone who seemed a little less threatening. But he never expected him to react how he did." She paused, her eyes distant.

"Apparently, besides my colouring, I look a lot like Ray's mother. The instant he saw me, he just broke down into tears. So I held him and just let him cry. Ever since that day, every time he has a bad dream, or a hard day, he comes to my room and crawls into bed with me."

Chuck blinked taking in the horrifying situation. It just dawned on him, and he felt terrible, terrible he hadn't thought of it before. Most likely, of the other inhabitant's here, he had come from probably the best situation. The sadness in Kirsty's eyes spoke volumes to that, and he looked away.

The night before, Kirsty had woken him up from a nightmare. ' "We all have nightmares when we first come," ' She had said.

Chuck blinked. "That's… awful. But I still don't…"

Kirsty smiled, creepily reading his mind, "Understand why he's here, in this facility?"

Chuck nodded; a lot of people had seen just as horrible, if not more than what Ray had witnessed.

"Well, you'll find out if Ray tells you, thought I doubt he will," She frowned. "We're all here for some top secret reason or another, reasons we even need to hide from each other."

Chuck looked at the floor, "Sorry, I shouldn't have asked."

Her warm hand squeezed his shoulder. "Don't worry Sam, your still new here, everything will make more sense later. Now," She paused, "If you can't get back to sleep, why don't you go to the dinning room for a snack? Bring that book I showed you." Her arm dropped and she turned to move away, "Oh and sit in the chair closest to the kitchen door, it's my favourite chair."

Chuck frowned as she shut her door behind her. Her favourite chair? He'd never seen her sit there.

* * *

Chuck climbed back into his bed, trying to ignore how awake he was now. Turning off the lamp, he settled down.

The next 20 minutes were filled with twists and turns and repositioning limbs. And by the end of those minutes, Chuck was good and ready to accept that he wouldn't be sleeping anytime soon.

Maybe an early morning snack wasn't such a bad idea.

Sighing, Chuck threw back his cover, turning on his lamp and pulled open the drawer in his bedside table. Picking up the book Kirsty had suggested, he shrugged and headed out of his room.

The hall was still dim, and Kirsty's door was now shut.

Chuck shivered at the empty quiet and made his way to the dinning room. The room was the same, empty and still. The light from the empty kitchen simmering into the dimly lit room.

Heading in, he grabbed a banana from the counter, and a glass of milk from the fridge. Bananas had always had a strangely soothing quality about them.

Sitting down in the suggested spot at one of the tables, Chuck opened the book of poetry, and flicked through the soft white pages. Nothing spectacular jumped out at him, the pages, dense with words, held him no interest.

Sighing he ate the last of his banana and let his head fall back, mussed hair resting against the wood.

Chuck's tired eyes stared at the white ceiling tiles, the smooth planes traveling out of his eyesight and to the walls… Chuck paused, wait was that…? Yes it was. That was a camera!

Chuck turned in his chair to give the mounted camera another look. It was carefully placed and well coloured to help it blend in with the wall. But the area the video would provide, just barely cut out the edge of the table he was currently sitting at.

Chuck spied around the room. One more camera, but again, he was just out of its view.

Chuck's eyebrows twisted in consideration. It seemed Kirsty had wanted him to sit right here, out of the camera's view. But why? And why had she so forcefully suggested this book?

Chuck picked up the book, twisting the heavy paperback in his hand. Why this book? Why poetry?

Chuck opened the book again, this time flipping through the pages slowly. There was nothing special about this book, so why – wait a minute.

Chuck paused and flipped a few pages back. Page 45. The forty-five at the top of the page was circled softly in red, softly enough, that if you weren't looking hard, you would have passed it right by.

Chuck's eyes traveled down the page, taking in more soft red marks. He read the marked words softly to himself.

Chuck bit his lip. But what did it mean?

* * *

Kirsty looked fondly at the boy squirming in her bed. "Ray," she murmured softly, "Ray, your alright."

"Momma," the boy's unconscious mind called out vocally, "Momma the song, sing the song."

Kirsty frowned. When Ray had first come, he had told her about a song his mother had used hum when she had put him to bed each night. He had even taught her the haunting tune.

Not wanting to ever come between Ray and the memory of his dead mother, she had promised him she would never hum it, so when he had nightmares, she had found a different way to interpret the song that soothed him so.

Licking her lips, she sat down in the cold chair. Pushing away her music stand, she brought her instrument between her knees, hand poised with the bow.

Kirsty felt her eyes cloud with tears as she played the tune quietly, memories of her own mother interrupting her thoughts of Ray.

Unable to stop playing as Ray's tune ended, her nimble fingers sought a different tune, a lament she had learned so many years ago.

All she could do now was pray and hope. And if Sam could not figure it out, then she would accept things the way they were, and maybe someday soon, she could see her mother once again.

* * *

A/N: So if you haven't noticed, I have tried to warp the stories genre into more of Angst/Mystery, instead of just Angst/hopefully-just-leading-to-smex. It seemed more eloquent to me (not that there won't be smex in the end! :D), although I myself have not really read may mysteries (besides Sherlock Holmes of course : ). So if something doesn't seem quite right, please leave me some constructive criticism! (I love trying to improve!)


	10. Chapter 10

Previously on 'Defusing':

_Chuck paused and flipped a few pages back. Page 45. The forty-five at the top of the page was circled softly in red, softly enough, that if you weren't looking hard, you would have passed it right by._

_Chuck's eyes traveled down the page, taking in more soft red marks. He read the marked words softly to himself._

_Chuck bit his lip. But what did it mean?_

**Chapter 10**

Chuck frowned at the page in front of him; there were a total of three different kinds of markings on the page. Some words were underlined, some were circled and some were highlighted.

They must be different parts of a message, Chuck decided. The marked words were dispersed around the page, very few compared to how many words graced a single page. The book seemed almost stuffed capacity with words. Well if she had wanted to write a secret message using someone else's words, this was definitely the right book to use. Looking around the empty room; he read the underlined words aloud to himself.

"Important… secret… in… a… book…" Chuck paused, "Important secret in a book? But what does that mean?" Chuck sighed. Well the book had been given to him by Kirsty, and the looks she had been giving him most likely meant she had done this. So did she know something? Something she had only wanted him to know? But what? And why him?

Chuck sighed and looked at the rest of the markings the page had to offer. Three things had been circled, and one line had been highlighted with the mentioned red pencil.

The highlighted line read: "An effort in their presence to speak the truth…"

Strangely Chuck got that one right away. Someone was obviously watching Kirsty, and she needed to get someone to see whatever it was she knew…

Well it would go in accord of why she had handed him a book cryptically instead of telling him.

The next bit puzzled him though. 'Mat' from the word mattock had been circled, the page number 45, and the word 'heart'.

Chuck filed that information away, hoping it would come in handy later.

Sighing, he closed the book and left the table. There was nothing more he could do tonight.

* * *

Chuck awoke the next morning to the feeling of being watched. Never having enjoyed the feeling, shivers ran down his spine as he turned slowly to look at the door.

Maybe he was going crazy - oh never mind.

By the door, Casey sat in the room's sole chair.

"About time you woke up."

Chuck rubbed his eyes, "What time is it."

"Quarter past seven."

"Quarter past - Casey what is so important that you need to wake me up this early."

Casey frowned at Chuck. "It's not always about you."

Chuck rolled his eyes and waited from for Casey to speak.

"The thing is, Sam, I have some meetings schedualed this afternoon. So we need to have our appointment with the Doctor this morning, as he only had one hour left of his _busy_ morning, we need to be there in 10 minutes." Casey looked down at his watch, "Sorry 7 minutes."

Chuck huffed and threw the covers off, heading for his dresser. Fishing out some clothes, he undressed quickly throwing his sleep clothes onto the bed.

Entranced, Casey watched Chuck strip down to his boxers before putting on his white day clothes. Chuck had a fantastic body; slim without being boney, tall without seeming to tower, soft without seeming feminine.

Embarrassed, Casey turned quickly away, trying to will away the small amount of arousal he felt from watching his charge undress.

* * *

The meeting with the doctor went similar to how it had the day before, and it wasn't long before they were saying goodbye to the always-busy man.

"Sam," The doctor turned to Chuck as he opened the door, "Can you stop by my office around 5 o'clock? It would be nice to get the opportunity to talk to you, see how you've settled so far." The older man smiled.

Chuck nodded, with a "Sure," before turning to Casey, the now only other occupant of the room.

"So are we done now? Can I go get some breakfast and take a shower? Or do we have more _spy_ stuff to do?" Chuck asked sarcastically.

Casey's eyes narrowed ever so slightly. "We're done," He said stoically, "I will see you tomorrow."

Chuck headed out of the room, to make the confusing trip to the dinning room. Maybe he could wiggle some answers out of the mysterious Kirsty.

* * *

Kirsty groaned into her sugarcoated oatmeal, her morning had gone far from expected. She had awoken early to go for a swim, to discover Ray hadn't left the night before.

Knowing he would be cranky, she had awoken him with a small nudge and a soft "Wake-up sweetie." Of course, it didn't matter how gently she woke him up, he was always cross if he woke up in her room in the morning. It meant that he had admitted needing help, especially from a nightmare, how childish.

Of course, Kirsty had tried to convince him otherwise. "Having nightmares doesn't make me think you're a child," she had flung crossly, "Behaving like this does though!"

She instantly regretted her words, now Ray wasn't speaking to her, which meant she wouldn't be able to comfort him during the next coming days.

Truth be told, she liked comforting Ray, it made her feel useful, like she had a purpose in this screwed up underground mess.

She missed so many things about her old life, but still being able to take care of those she considered as siblings or children who needed love, had helped her feel not quite so lonely, quite so heartbroken.

She felt Lenny sit down beside her as tears began to cloud her vision.

"What's wrong?" He asked her quietly.

"Oh God Lenny," she sobbed as quietly as she could and sunk into his open arms. "I'm never going to leave this place alive."


	11. Character Guide

_Please read between chapters 10 and 11!_

**A Guide to Defusing: _Understanding the Characters_**

(As this fic has spanned over months, here is a quick _review_ about the things you **need** to know about the characters to make the next few chapters a little less confusing.)

* * *

Chuck Bartowski / Sam – 27 years old. Has the government's Intersect stuck inside his head. His sister and friends think he is dead, while in reality he is being held in an underground bunker against his will. He has made fast friends with another occupant named Kirsty.

John Casey / Jack – 46 years old. Major and field agent in the NSA. Has been given the responsibility to protect the Intersect with his life. He once remarked he only needed to be two things for his current assignment, "Ready to kill those that would harm /take the Intersect, and ready to kill the Intersect himself" (Chap 5). He currently lives in the underground bunker with Chuck. It is hinted that he likes men, and finds Chuck attractive (Chap 10). He knows both Dr. Rolf and Agent Sakamoto from previous situations. As we know, Dr. Rolf is a childhood friend. As far as the relationship between Agent Sakamoto and Major Casey, all we have been privy to is they have backed each other up before, and would "do anything" for each other (Chap 6).

Sarah Walker – 29 years old. Field agent in the CIA. While we don't know a whole lot about Sarah; we do know she has a kind heart and was against sending Chuck to the underground bunker. Drafted into the CIA at a young age, she has experienced a hard life and does not want to corrupt Chuck's view of the government. Some readers may think I have written Miss Walker out of the story for good, smirks just make sure you read Chapter 11.

Doctor Malcolm Rolf / Tyler – 46 years old. A childhood friend of Casey; this man brings up bad memories for the Major regarding a person named "Rachael". Rachael will be remaining a mystery until close to the end of the fic. In reality, she is a clue to Casey's past that later helps Chuck understand the man. Dr. Rolf is a Psychiatrist with a Masters in Psychology. He keeps track of the Patients mental status, and at one point even tries to "psychoanalyse" Casey (Chap 5). He is the leader of the operation that is the underground bunker, or as he refers to it, the "Facility". His responsibilities there number large. Previously unknown about the Doctor is his marital situation: soon after accepting the role and responsibilities at the facility his wife divorced him, giving him the excuse to be around his patients 24/7; now, he lives there. Also previously unknown, he was recruited to the NSA by Major Casey himself, after his best-friend "Tyler's" disappearance some eight years before. The two men's broken friendship is a sore spot for the Doctor, who is unable to understand why Casey wants nothing to do with him.

Kirsty / (Real Name Unknown) – 21 years old. It is estimated she has been in the bunker for 3 years now. A lot of mysterious circumstances seem to surround her. She plays the Cello, and likes to look after those around her. We will be finding out a lot about her in the next few chapters.

Ray / (Real Name Unkown) – 12 years old. Created as a foil for Kirsty. Has been in the bunker now for 2 years. Tries to hide an inferiority complex behind rude comments and a presumed snappish attitude. Views Kirsty as a mother figure because she looks very similar to his own mother. Memories being the strongest for him at night, he often sleeps in Kirsty's room. Before being taken into the bunker, by none other than Major Casey himself, he witnessed his mother and agent handler slaughtered by his drunken father. Traumatised by the event, the child's personality has changed, bringing out even stronger, his natural abilities. A child genius, Ray is a brilliant Mathematician who works closely with the IRS, DEA and NSA.

Lenny / (Real Name Unknown) – 33 years old. Mechanical engineer and aerophysics expert. Not much is mentioned about the very quiet man in the story. He originally had a large part, but was cut when I realised how long the story had become. As I am still in angst if I should leave his coming part in or out, so I won't be revealing too much. Estimated having spent the longest time in the bunker (as well as oldest), at 7 years. Being the closest friend and confident to Kirsty, he has fallen in love with the young woman, but does not do well expressing it.

Agent Alessandro "Alex" Sakamoto – 36 years old. Kirsty's handler. While Casey remarks he likes the "Japanese man" (Chap 6), the man is in fact, only half Japanese. Born in Chicago, Alex was recruited to the NSA at an early age. While we do not know much about the agent, he is set to play a larger part in the coming chapters, so keep your eyes open for him!

Olivia – Minor character. Dr. Rolf's assistant. Reacted to Chuck "As if he were a wild animal" (Chap 3).

Tommy – Aged 10. Minor character. Ray's best friend. Like Lenny, he originally had a bigger part, contributing to his own mystery. His part was cut when I revamped the story line a month ago. Can be seen briefly in Chapter 4.

Ellie Bartowski – Chuck's sister. Chuck has a nightmare about her (Chap 6) finding out he is dead. Trying to move on with her life, Ellie becomes engaged to her boyfriend, who Chuck comically refers to as "Captain Awesome". Will have a very small role at the end of the series.

Susan/Susie, Dr. Hammond, the Clothes Lady – Very minor characters designed to explain how some things at the facility run.

* * *

So I hope I have cleared a few things up, and not made them more confusing, like I suspect I might have… Hopefully you have noticed some of the hints I have given you in this guide and use them to your advantage in figuring out the mystery as it comes to light in the next few chapters!


	12. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

Casey entered the room, taking in the expressions of the other three occupants.

"Major Casey," General Beckman cocked her head, "You're late."

Casey frowned and dipped his head in similitude, "Sorry Sir."

The General frowned, "Sit down Major and give us your report."

Casey sat and spoke, "The intersect is not adjusting as fast as I would have hoped, but at the same time, is doing better than he could be. Though he seems to have poor choices in acquaintances."

"What do you mean?" Director Graham asked.

"Well he seems to have made a good friend in the Central witness for the Rizzo case."

"Dammit Casey!" Sarah jumped out of her chair, "I told you that facility would ruin him!"

"Sit down Agent Walker," The General barked.

Sarah scowled and took her seat.

"And what do you suggest Agent Casey?" The General asked.

Casey frowned, "A cover up."

"I'm don't see what your getting at."

Casey tilted his head, "We give the Intersect a few outings outside the bunker, heavily protected, of course," He shrugged, letting the General know the details were up to her. "And it won't seem strange to him when we take him out of the bunker one day, and when he comes back she has maybe… been transferred to a different facility."

The General nodded, before Graham spoke up, "And you think he would overtly overreact to the news of her death."

Casey nodded, "He is too soft not to."

Sarah scoffed from her chair, "It's called giving a damn about other people."

The two leaders were exchanging looks and ignored her, while Casey rose an eyebrow in her direction. "Implying that I don't?"

Sarah glared, "Did I say that?"

Casey shrugged, "Fine, but if you think that, you may also want to rethink the fact that you lived through that incident in Costa Rica."

Sarah bit her lip, remembering back to when Casey had saved her from immediate and certain death. She turned away to look out the thirty story window.

Casey turned back to the two leaders in time to see the General nod seriously at something Graham had said.

"Alright. We agree with your recommendations Major Casey. You will take your first outing with the Intersect tomorrow. As for guarding him we will leave that up to you and Agent Walker."

Sarah's face lit up at the news.

"What?!" Casey stared at the General, "Are you questioning my ability to look after one person?!"

"Not at all," The General returned straight-faced, "But as the facility is NSA run and classified, the CIA," She motioned to Graham, "Would like their own updates on the Intersect."

Casey took his own turn to scowl.

"And as Agent Walker seems to have become," The General rolled her eyes, "Attached, to the Intersect, she will be accompanying you. Plus," She added, "The fewer who know about these outings, the better." She gave Casey a knowing look.

Casey nodded; he knew what that meant. He turned to eye Walker who was beaming.

She smiled at Casey, "So how about we meet tomorrow for breakfast, say 9am, at Roy's?"

Casey nodded at the girl, he knew the place, the diner made the best damn coffee in Washington, and gave a pretty good discount to government workers too.

* * *

Chuck yawned and looked at his watch, quarter to 5, he'd probably better get going if he wanted to make it to Doctor Rolf's office in time.

Stuffing the gaming magazine back in its rack, Chuck headed off, taking a quick jog towards the office portion of the bunker.

"Hi Sam," Olivia tilted her head at him, as he approached the Doctor's office.

"Uh, hi, I am here to see Dr. Rolf?"

"He hasn't made it back from his last appointment yet, but you can wait for him in here," She ushered him into the Doctor's office, closing the door behind him.

Chuck looked around the plain office with a frown. He hadn't looked at it very closely the last time he'd been here, but now that he was noticing, the walls were kind of bare, even if they were painted soothing colours. In fact the only things adorning the walls were a Flat screen TV with video conferencing capabilities, and a motivational poster of a kitten looking at a large set if stairs the words "Don't Give Up!" emblazoned across the bottom.

He chuckled, the Doctor had never seemed like a Cat person.

The desk was bare except for a lone file folder, a cup of pens, a stack of post-it notes, and a phone. A hole on the right corner of the desk told Chuck of a hidden laptop connection. It made sense really, if you were the psychiatrist and leader of a place like this, any information on the patients was probably password protected hundred times over and then locked in a vault when not in use.

But it wasn't that or the kitten poster that intrigued him, no. It was the lone manila file folder, sitting there, staring him down.

'_You know you want to look,'_ his head whispered. "I shouldn't." '_Come on if it were important it wouldn't be out here for you to see.'_ "No I-" Chuck paused when he caught sight of the folders label.

4-7-1 was printed neatly on the line. Wait wasn't that what Casey called Kirsty?

Sufficiently tempted, Chuck reached down and opened the folder, turning the contents so he could read them. The folder was empty except for one piece of paper. Notes on mental status jotted in a handwriting he didn't recognize.

* * *

January 12th "Patient does not speak except for her brothers name."

January 15th "Patient is unwilling to co-operate."

January 16th "Patient speaks for the first time. She asks where 'Nerio' is. The doctor explained her brothers death. Patient broke down into tears again, refused to speak for the rest of the day."

January 17th "Patient has gone back to chanting 'Nerio Rizzo' over and over again."

January 21st "Both doctors worry over break in mental state. Sedatives and anti-psychotics have been administered."

* * *

Chuck read, and upon reaching the name Nerio Rizzo, he felt his neck stiffen and his shoulders slack as his mind went into a flash.

Nerio Rizzo was murdered in cold blood along with his mother Tasha Rizzo on the way home from a violin lesson. They were murdered by a rival mob syndicate. The two were pulled from their car before being shot in the foreheads execution style.

The husband and father Andrea Rizzo, Chairman and head father of 'The Commission' of the Chicago Crime Family, retaliated back by murdering the rival gangs leader Lucky Luciano and starting a wave of murders and territorial disputes between Crime Families from New York to Los Angeles.

Last anyone had heard, after a breakdown caused from her mother and brother's deaths, Aria Rizzo had been captured three years ago by the NSA to testify against her family, in the governments efforts to stop the wave of crime, and put the Crime Lords behind bars for good. The case was coming to a close, and soon the Rizzo's family would be dead or in jail.

Chuck blinked as the world around him came back.

Kirsty had mentioned she had been in this facility for 3 years. She looked a damn lot like the pictures of her family Chuck had seen. She must be the key witness in the case.

Chuck was awakened by a booming voice outside the door.

"Olivia, any messages for me?"

"No Doctor Rolf."

"Thanks, hold my calls."

Without time to think, Chuck stuffed the paper back in the folder, slammed it closed and jumped into one of the chairs facing the desk.

The doctor stepped into the room and smiled at him. "Sorry I am late Sam, one of my appointments went later than expected." His white hands laid a silver laptop onto the empty desk. "Hope you haven't been waiting long?"

Chuck shook his head, trying to find his voice, "Not long at all."

"Good," The Doctor smiled cheerily at Chuck, "Now Sam, I was just wondering if we could talk about you." The Doctor pulled a piece of paper similar to the one he had seen out of the top right drawer.


	13. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

* * *

Chuck opened his eyes with this time, a hand on his shoulder.

"Sam, wake up." Casey's gruff morning voice was in high gear, so from what Chuck could tell, and the fact that his breath still smelt of spearmint, Casey had yet to have his morning coffee.

Great, Casey was bound to be real pain in the ass before his daily cup. "Stop shaking me Casey." He was able to croak out.

"Well then get up, we have to leave soon, and you're still in bed."

With Casey backing off to the chair, Chuck sat up in bed and looked at the NSA agent with blurry eyes. "Leave? Another early appointment?"

"No," Casey looked at him, face carefully blank of emotion. "I got permission yesterday from the General to take you for an outing today."

"An outing?" Chuck perked up. "An outing outside?"

A small smile grace the tight lips, "Outside."

Chuck grinned at the large man, "Well then lets get to it! I just need to take a quick shower."

Casey nodded, "I'll be back here in exactly 20 minutes." He frowned at his ward one last time before exiting.

Chuck shrugged and grabbed his shower bag and towel. He was going to be able to go outside!

Opening his door and stepping out, he noticed the white hallway was blank except for Kirsty's wide open door.

All of a sudden he wondered if this was not a little unusual, being able to go outside, being the newest member in the facility and all.

Of course the fact that he shouldn't be telling anyone about his "outing" didn't even cross his mind as he crossed the hall and poked his head into Kirsty's room.

Kirsty sat on the bed, nose in a book.

"Kirsty?" He knocked on the door timidly.

"Mhhm?" Her voice affirmed without so much as a movement.

"Can I come in?"

Looking up over her glasses, she eyed the young man, years her senior, but by far younger when it came to maturity. "Sure, take a seat Sam." She motioned to the bed with the flick of a few fingers.

Sitting on the white, but seaming ever so much more personalized bed, Chuck watched as she laid the book down and leaned back against the wall, neck stretched so she could stare at the ceiling.

"I-uhm," Kirsty was making this hard on him, he wasn't sure how to start the conversation. "I, well, Casey came to me this morning and said he was taking me outside for an outing. I just thought it seemed a little weird."

"And your wondering if I've ever had the opportunity to go outside in my 3 years here?"

Chuck nodded, knowing she'd see it from the corner of her eye.

"You know Sam," She continued to contemplate the ceiling. "I've never had the opportunity, neither have any of the other occupants… well to my knowledge that is."

"So, why would I get to-"

"I don't think I could answer that. Although I know someone who could."

"Who?" As always Chuck wondered how she knew so much about the going on's around her.

"Why the person who told you of course."

"Casey? He wouldn't tell me anything, even if my life depended on it."

Kirsty sighed, "Well then I guess you'll never know." She had a pretty good idea why, she wasn't completely clueless... And she did love to listen at keyholes, she had always had a particular talent for that.

"Have you ever stared at the stipple on the ceiling so hard that all the stipples around look like their dancing?" Kirsty asked in a dazed voice.

"Uh yeah." Chuck felt confused, why she was talking about ceilings?

"When you blink your eyes, or look around, you realise that really none of the plaster dots had moved at all..."

"So?"

"It's an optical illusion, our eyes playing tricks on us." Her head suddenly moved and locked gaze with him. "Not everything is as it seems." She paused, "Sometimes, our eyes, ears and assumptions are just an illusion. Sometimes, situations around us are playing tricks on us; remember that. Remember not only that, but keep in mind that some situations may be set in motion soon, that unless you can make clear assumptions about, you will have no control over."

"What? What's going on Kirsty?"

Kirsty regarded him with sad eyes. "You remember that book I gave you?"

Oh! "Yes, I-"

"I think you might like some other books like it. Maybe you should go to the library when Casey takes you out." She frowned thoughtfully, "There's this library in the closest town that I really liked, before I got in here that is… And maybe you should use it, you might find what you're looking for."

Chuck eyed her for a moment. "Alright."

"Now you should go, I'm sure Casey will be looking for you."

Chuck nodded, "I'll see you later," he stood to leave.

"I hope so."

* * *

TBC


	14. Chapter 13

originally posted: October 30th, 2008 posted at: little-dumpling [dot] livejournal [dot] com/42053 [dot] html

**

* * *

Title:** Defusing a Human Time Bomb: Chapter 13  
**Rating:** PG-13 (for little bite-sized bits of angst)  
**Pairing:** eventual Casey/Chuck  
**Disclaimer:** Does not belong to me, I do not profit from my writing.  
**Genre:** Mystery/Angst/Romance  
**Summary:** Chuck has to learn to cope when he is taken away from LA and stuck in an underground bunker with Major Casey.  
**A/N:** I know I was going to post this last night *groans* but I had a horrible episode, and then when I was finally able to get to sleep, it was very fitful and restless... Then I slept in and the HR person yelled at me... Let's just say it hasn't shaped into a good day... hope all of yours have been better...

Casey lead Chuck out through the facility the same way they had come in, from what seemed like ages ago.

Chuck sadly wondered, when he went back in this way if he'd ever come back out, not in a body bag. He still wasn't sure for the reason for the sudden trip outside, but he wasn't getting his hopes up that as soon as it was over, he would be unloaded back straight into the underground bunker.

As the two neared the entrance to the building, Chuck felt a wave of fresh air sweep over him and his lungs almost shuddered. Using all his energy to focus on walking, Chuck walked out of the door behind Casey.

It was a foggy day, the sky was grey and the grass looked tired, but none of this mattered to Chuck as he felt his legs tremble, and finally fall out from under him.

Casey must have been expecting such a reaction, for before Chuck's head could hit and bounce off the pavement, Casey caught him, and righted his trembling body.

"Just take a deep breath," He said quietly.

Chuck nodded, catching his breath in gulps. "I didn't – I didn't think I was going to leave that place alive, ever again."

An emotion flitted over Casey's face, but before Chuck could tell what it was, it was gone, replaced by an expressionless mask.

"Come on," Casey turned, putting a beefy arm around his waist to steady him.

Waiting a few feet ahead was a standard issue Black SUV, and Chuck never felt so glad in his life to climb into the comfy leather seats.

Closing the door behind Chuck, Casey walked around the car to his side, where some kind of army lackey spoke to him quietly.

With a few nods, Casey climbed into his seat and started the engine.

* * *

The first half an hour of the trip was spent in silence. Chuck, grateful Casey wasn't one for socialising, sat in the passenger seat, content with the time to stare at the rural landscape.

The next hour, Chuck began to feel all of his limbs again, and realised in a hurry that he had a fierce need to pee. Turning to the silent agent, Chuck quickly explained his problem.

Pulling over to the side of the road, Casey parked the SUV.

"What are you doing?"

"Parking. Get out and do your business so we can get on with this trip." Casey stated gruffly.

"Do – do my business? In some bushes?! Eww no! I am the Intersect! Shouldn't you take me to a real toilet?"

Casey rolled his eyes, "I think staying in that bunker has made you mighty soft."

"Has not!" Chuck spat angrily and flew out of the door and into the grassy ditch.

Chuckling softly to himself, Casey watched the near empty road, reassured by the sound of his charge peeing into the grass.

* * *

The rest of the journey to Washington was spent in silence, the whole hour left.

As they entered the city, Chuck took in the sights and sounds of civilization. Not that he'd ever noticed before, but growing up in Los Angelus, really made it hard to live without the tussle and bustle of a busy city. Strangely, he missed the traffic jams, the rude neighbors and amazing Indian restaurants.

Sighing he leant back in his seat and watched Casey drive.

The man's large hands gripped the steering wheel with ease; face turned attentively ahead, eyes hidden carefully behind darkened shades.

That the man would be confident behind the wheel of a car or pulling the trigger of a gun was no surprise to Chuck. The man seemed to constantly exerting two things, confidence and masculinity. Chuck maybe wasn't proud to say it, but he envied the agent. Chuck was sure he could do anything confidently.

Watching the larger man intently, Chuck couldn't help notice his soft lips and jaw chiseled as if by Michelangelo himself. God it must be nice to be so confident in yourself.

Seeing Casey's face tighten in a scowl at Chuck's study, Chuck quickly turned his eyes back to the road.

"So where are we going?" Chuck cleared his throat.

"Breakfast with Walker."

"Isn't it kind of late for breakfast?"

"Its only nine thirty," Casey rolled his eyes. "Besides, we would have been earlier if it hadn't taken forever for you to have your shower-"

"You gave me hardly any time… Wait did you say Walker? As in Sarah?" Chuck frowned.

"-and it took you a million years to pee by the side of the road."

"I have a nervous bladder," Chuck pouted. "Stop ignoring my question."

Casey sighed, "Yes, we're having breakfast with Agent Walker, as in Sarah." He finished with a scowl, "Happy?"

Chuck grinned at his memories of the blonde. "Yes actually, I quite like her."

Casey frowned to himself, Chuck liked Sarah more than he liked him?

"Casey?" Chuck's voice interrupted his thoughts, "Are you… pouting?"

Casey growled at Chuck, "Of course not."

* * *

With the breakfast rush finishing at around 9:15, the diner was quite empty when the two men stepped inside.

Spotting Sarah at a booth, Chuck rushed over and slid in across from her.

Rolling his eyes, Casey sat down himself.

"Do you have any idea how long I've been waiting for you?" Sarah eyed Casey angrily.

Casey checked his watch and grinned, "Forty minutes?"

This time it was Sarah's turn to pout. "Do you know how many desk jockeys I had to slap in that time?!"

Casey snorted. One of the humorous things about government desk lackeys, was they were _always_ hitting on agents. It's not like it was the agents' faults that they were prettier and therefore chosen for fieldwork.

Casey opened his mouth.

"No I don't want to hear your 'pretty' speech."

"That's not what I was going to say," Casey cocked an eyebrow and grinned. "What I was going to say is, we would have been on time, if not for nervous bladder over here."

Seeing Chuck's face redden in embarrassment, Casey was unsure if he felt more giddy because he caused it, or guilty.

Casey winced internally; I will not care for my charge, I will not care for my charge, He repeated silently.

"I-I-I-" Chuck sputtered.

"It's okay Chuck," Sarah's hand soothed over his, "Casey's just in a bad mood, pay him no mind." She shot him a dirty look.

Frowning, Casey looked away. The guilt was starting to slightly overpower the glee.

Sarah patted Chuck's hand before turning back to her closed menu. "How about we order."

After the three made their order to a wandering waitress, Chuck began instantly jabbering with Walker.

With no attention focused on himself, Casey sat back and studied to two.

Strangely, Sarah had seemed to age since Chuck's capture a week ago. The rings under her eyes spoke of little sleep, and her tight bun, complete with greasy roots and a lack-luster shine spoke of her unwillingness to keep up her appearance.

Now that he thought about it, this was the first time he'd ever seen her with such little make-up on.

Turning to Chuck, he noticed the nerd also looked a little wary, his dark circled eyes instead spoke of nightmares and his shaking hand spoke of bad nerves.

Out of the three of them, Casey seemed to be dealing with the situation the best… Though the effects of living in such close proximity with his childhood friend was beginning to take a different affect on himself.

In any other situation, by now he would usually have gotten to know his charge a little bit, but here he was completely stumped with Chuck's persona.

He could tell there was a lot more going on underneath Chuck's 'nerd mask', what though, he still couldn't place.

The waitress bringing their food quieted the pair's conversation, and Casey took the silence to take in what the other two had ordered.

He remembered as a young kid, his mother telling him that how a person ordered their eggs always had a lot to say about their personality. At the time he had just rolled his eyes… But now, he knew his mother had been pulling his leg, choosing her own way to show Casey her personality.

Sarah had ordered a soft cheese omelette with a fruit bowl to side, Chuck had ordered French Toast covered in cinnamon and sugar with an egg easy-over to side, and Casey himself had ordered eggs Benedict with a side of hash browns.

Casey smiled, memories filled with his mother, as the other two began to gab again.

* * *

The breakfast was over before Casey knew it, and was glad the two hadn't tried to wheedle him into their conversation. Now was for the part Casey knew Chuck was going to hate.

"Alright," Casey signed the visa slip and stood, "Guess it's time, Agent Walker, would you like to lead the way?" He motioned ahead of him.

"Sarah is leaving already? But it feels like we've hardly had any time!" Chuck whined softly.

Casey rolled his eyes, "No, the three of us have an errand before we have to leave. Come on." He motioned for Chuck to leave.

Following Chuck, Casey ushered him into his SUV. Casey drove to tall blue building, proud white letters on the side declaring it "Edward Seattle Lawyers & Co". Seeing the gigantic white letters, Chuck flashed and turned to face Casey as he drove into the parking garage's entrance.

"You hide the Washington Military headquarters at a Law firm?"

Casey shrugged. A burly security guard stopped them at the entry. Handing the man a plastic badge, the man pushed it through a reader before speaking.

"Welcome back Major," He nodded in understanding as the door opened.

Casey nodded back, "The chick behind is with me," he thumbed back before driving through the opened door.

* * *

It turned out the "errand" was simply more slides like how the doctor had been extracting information from him at the facility, only this had a slightly different approach.

"Wow." Chuck walked into the room Casey had led him to. The room was fairly small, and was stuffed to capacity with four high standing overstuffed brown leather chairs, each situated in at a high tech computer. Each computer had two high def monitors for programming and was slammed full of any accessory you could ever need in a work setting.

"This is where S-Unit's programming staff lives. Lucky for us, they all happen to be quite afraid of me and I was able to commandeer the use of this room for our purposes," Casey smirked.

Chuck's eyes widened, "You mean they get to work with _this_ kind of technology everyday?!" This would be a nerds dream job. Programming for the government, getting to use equipment and computers Chuck had only dreamt about.

Casey laughed, "No expense is too small for our nerds."

After a beat of silence, the next moment saw Sarah coming through the door, huffing slightly, a little pink in the face.

"Did you know you can only take the elevator if you have an NSA card?!" She looked mighty annoyed. "You could have waited for me Casey!"

"And miss your expression?" He grinned suavely, "Not a chance."

Sarah gritted her jaw, not before mumbling "I hope you burn in hell," Under her breath.

Chuck cleared his throat, "I hate to burst this love fest," he looked from one agent to another. "But why did we need to come all this way to see some very nice computers? Not that I'm complaining of course," he finished in a huff, so they would let him stay a little longer with the lovely machinery.

Casey turned back to Chuck, "Oh, yes, well what we were doing with Dr. Rolf wasn't working out as great as we hoped. Many of the agents were still having trouble, even with all the information you gave them. And I had a hunch that you yourself had opinions on what their next steps should be."

Chuck nodded, he had at that.

"So I suggested to General Beckman that we give the agents your information from the Intersect and a summary of what you think." Of course this was all bull to get Chuck into Washington, but it sounded reasonable enough. "And there's no where really in the facility you will have enough access to do this."

Chuck smiled, "Sounds great! So which one do I use?" He looked excitedly back and forth between the computers.

* * *

The job went faster than Chuck had realised it would, and before he knew it, Casey was telling him to finish up the case he was working on so they could leave. It was already 3pm.

After sending his findings through the server Casey directed him too, Chuck cleared all the history and file traces from the computer, and soon enough, the three were back at their cars.

"Well Agent Walker," Casey smirked at Sarah. "It's been a pleasure, I'll call you."

Sarah frowned, obviously not amused. "Monday, same time, same place."

Casey nodded, "Fine."

"And be on time!"

Casey snickered to himself as the two got into the SUV. "Yeah right."


	15. Chapter 14

originally posted: November 03rd, 2008 at: little-dumpling [dot] livejournal [dot] com/43665 [dot] html

* * *

**Title:** Defusing a Human Time Bomb: Chapter 14  
**Rating:** PG-13 (for little bite-sized bits of angst)  
**Pairing:** eventual Casey/Chuck  
**Disclaimer:** Does not belong to me, I do not profit from my writing.  
**Genre:** Mystery/Angst/Romance  
**Summary:** Chuck has to learn to cope when he is taken away from LA and stuck in an underground bunker with Major Casey.

* * *

The trip back was about as silent as the trip to Washington, but strangely, the trip back was a lot more comfortable, almost as if the two realised when they stepped back into the SUV, that they didn't mind each others presence.

The first hour was spent with mostly Chuck watching the scenery, excited to see something other than the white walls of the facility, even if the greens of the summer were turning brown with the dry fall weather. But as that hour turned into two, Chuck felt himself squirm. He had never been much of a sedentary person.

"Quit squirming," Casey growled. Driving for hours without a break wasn't something Casey exactly had on the top of his 'I love…' list.

"I can't help it," Chuck turned and tried to give the large man his famous big brown puppy dog eyes.

Casey quickly looked away, not liking the way those hugs eyes made him feel slightly queer in the left of his chest.

"If you sit quietly for the next half-hour, I'll let you out when I refuel for gas. And if you're particularly good, I'll buy you a Slurpee."

Chuck grinned at the mention of a cool drink, and tried to contain his twitching.

Casey laughed silently; he loved how a simple bribery could shut the nerd up as if he were a child being placated.

The next hour was spent with an even easier silence, as Chuck watched the rolling landscape, trying his hardest to keep quiet by counting the number of cows he saw versus cars.

By the time the two had reached the gas station, Chuck was well over two hundred cows, and just under forty cars.

Leaving Casey to fill the car, Chuck skipped into the store and surveyed the merchandise. Picking up a new gamer magazine and thumbed through the pages, trying to ignore the sinking feeling he had when he looked at the new Guitar Hero game. Morgan always loved Guitar Hero.

Sensing Casey's presence behind him, Chuck tried to push away his distress and turned to face the bigger man.

"So, Slurpee?" He asked as childlike as he could. Casey chuckled and Chuck blinked. He didn't he'd ever heard Casey laugh before.

"Fine, you win, I'll buy you a Slurpee," Casey smiled at the shocked young man.

Chuck blinked a few more times for shaking himself out of his apathy and heading off to the Slurpee machine.

* * *

The rest of the trip was particularly uneventful, that is until they were about 20 minutes away from the bunker when Chuck started fidgeting in his seat again.

"Uh Casey?" Chuck looked to the older man.

Casey sighed, what was it now? "What."

"Can we…" Chuck paused trying to work out in his mind how to say this, "Can we possibly stop at the library before we go back?"

Casey frowned, "The library here?" They had just passed the small blue sign welcoming them to the small town.

"Yeah… There's a book I've been looking for." Chuck watched the other man, hoping he'd buy his lame excuse.

Casey sighed again, "Fine."

* * *

The library was surprisingly quite large for such a small town. It was relatively busy, as both the workday and the school day had ended.

Letting his mind wander back to the information Kirsty had given him, Chuck let his eyes dart around the library. He was here, now what?

Letting his eyes catch on the different isle ends, Chuck gaped… The Dewey Decimal System, of course!

The only number he had been given was 45, so he'd run with that first.

Standing back, Casey watched as Chuck approached a staff member and spoke softly to them.

After a few moments, the employee answered him back, pointing to the second floor.

Knowing he couldn't let the kid out of his sight, Casey followed him up the stairs and to the language section.

"What book could he want up here?" He watched Chuck study the isles' topics before disappearing down one.

Following him down the 450 languages isle, he stood behind the nerd.

"What do you want in this isle?" Casey asked him.

"Well, I – I," Chuck eyes flitted through the books lining the shelves. Reading the spine names, his brain scrambled for an answer. "I was thinking about learning another language." _Brilliant_, Chuck rolled his eyes.

Casey looked at the books, the two happened to be right in front of the libraries Italian, Romanian, Spanish and Portuguese section.

"It's easier to learn a language by speaking and hearing it than reading about it."

Chuck eyed him curiously. "Really?" He paused for a moment trying to think of something to say next. "So how many languages do you speak?" He tried to ask innocently.

Casey frowned. "Russian, Spanish, German and Afrikaans."

Chuck blinked and studied his handler, "Wow."

Casey shrugged, "You need to know a variety of languages in my line of duty." He sighed, "Although I myself have never been the quickest at them."

"What about Sarah?" Chuck asked curiously.

Casey rolled his eyes, "Walker knows something like 9 languages."

Chuck frowned, "That sounds confusing." Chuck paused, weighing his next words carefully. "So does anyone at the Facility know any languages?"

Casey tilted his head in concentration. He was no dummy, Chuck was trying to figures something out in his head about someone down there, who he couldn't be sure of yet. "Well, Alex speaks Japanese and Italian-"

"No," Chuck interrupted quickly, "I mean like the other inhabitants. Maybe one of them would be willing to teach me a language or something."

Casey lifted an eyebrow, "Have anyone specific in mind?"

"Well, I, uhm, no, anyone."

Casey shrugged, "I don't know everything about the people that live down there, but I know Lenny speaks Russian, he's quite good with his pronunciation for someone who learned it later in life-"

"Anyone else?" Chuck asserted.

Casey frowned, "Kirsty speaks Italian."

Chuck bit back a smile, _Bingo_.

Trying to shrug nonchalantly, Chuck turned away from the larger man, and looked at the books again.

_Lets see… Italian section, Dictionaries, Thesaurus', Etymologies… Learning to speak Italian, general dialects… Wait a minute._

A heavy hard backed book caught Chuck's eye. "The Heart of Italian Culture," Chuck spoke aloud. The word 'heart' had been circled in the book Kirsty had given him.

Pulling the book out, Chuck read the subtitle, 'Learning Italian' by Michael Mathias.

Chuck grinned; She had circled the 'Mat' from Mattlock! Double bingo.

Casey sighed, "Sam you don't want that one, look how outdated it looks, it's probably from the sixties."

Glancing up and down the empty isle Chuck checked for cameras and librarian staff. Seeing the area clear, he shoved the book into Casey's hands and began furtively flipping the pages.

"What are you doing?" Chuck frowned at the younger man.

"Shh!" Chuck snapped before mumbling to himself, "It's gotta be here, it's gotta be here."

"What does, Sam?"

Chuck reached the end of the book and sighed, nothing; there was nothing out of the ordinary in this book.

Blinking, Chuck looked up into Casey's furrowed face, "I don't know."

"What's going on?"

Chuck rubbed his eyes warily, "There was supposed to be something here, in this book."

Casey turned the book around and flipped through it himself, "What was?"

Chuck frowned, "I don't know. Something, maybe, easily slipped into a book? I was guessing a note of some sort."

"Hmm," Casey closed the book, and turned it, reaching to place it back on the shelf.

"Wait, Casey," Chuck grabbed his arm, "Look!" He pointed to the edge of the book where the closed pages hugged each other.

"What the…" Casey's face creased.

Casey read the letters written on the pages edges carefully, murmuring to himself.

Understanding of the simple information dawned on his face and he cursed.

Turning to Chuck he looked murderous, "What have you got us into!"


	16. Chapter 15

**Title:** Defusing a Human Time Bomb: Chapter 15  
**Rating:** PG-13  
**Pairing:** pre Casey/Chuck  
**Warnings:** Angst.  
**Disclaimer:** Does not belong to me, I do not profit from my writing.  
**Genre:** Mystery/Angst/Romance  
**Series Summary:** Chuck has to learn to cope when he is taken away from LA and stuck in an underground bunker with Major Casey.  
**Chapter Summary:** Watching Chuck makes Casey's (Jack) mind delve into memories he once that thought forgotten.

**

* * *

Chapter soundtrack:** "He Used To Be A Lovely Boy" by Keane  
Special thanks to **the_proofreader** for the beta.

* * *

That day Casey had sat next to the young man in the FBI plane had changed everything for him. Chuck's face had been pale, his eyes blank as he had stared listlessly out the FBI plane's window.

Casey remembered it being dark outside, so dark that Chuck wouldn't have been able to see anything out the window anyway.

But it had been there, there had been something in Chuck's expression didn't sit well with the larger agent, something so sad and eerie, yet so familiar.

* * *

26 years ago…

_Jack dropped his duffel bag in front of the door and turned to survey the familiar house one last time._

_"Jack," His mother's voice sobbed, "You don't have to go, just tell them you can't. Stay here with me, I – I need you."_

_Jack's young scar free face turned to look at his upset mother's face. "I can't. I've already got my papers, my plane leaves tomorrow night."_

_His mother's eyes filled with desperate tears, "Jack, Swaziland is in a state of emergency, their government is so volatile, what if something-"_

_"Mom, that's why they've asked me to go. Besides," His grim face broke into a smile, as he looked into his mother's worried face, "My Lieutenant says we'll be stationed at the Embassy anyways, it's a cushy job, with little field experience." He knew there had been attacks on the Embassy in the last six months, but his mother didn't have to know that. It was the reason the band of troops currently protecting the Embassy was being recalled. Too many had died in a recent explosion, and he was going there to take one of those men's places._

_Her bright eyes searched her son's, "Are you sure this is what you want?"_

_"I want to defend my country," He tried to smile, "Besides, I can't stay here mom. You know that after Rachael – after she left us, I couldn't stay here, there are too many memories." He recalled enlisting to get away from the presence left in this empty house, the presence in the empty shell of his mom. He couldn't stand by and watch her waste away._

_His mother nodded, she understood. The memory of her daughter was destroying her as well. And if this was how Jack was dealing with it, there was nothing more that she could do but let him go. She just didn't want to lose her last child too._

_Feeling her eyes tear up again, she grabbed her son and cried into his large chest._

_Watching his mother break down at even the mention of Rachael's name hurt, but strengthened his resolve. He couldn't let this destroy him like his mom had let it destroy her._

_It may sound cold, but she rarely even acknowledged him anymore, let alone eat when he cooked. And now his aunt was moving in to take his place; there was nothing more he could do._

_Cupping his mother's chin and bringing her eyes up to met his; he brushed a few stray hairs out of her eyes._

_"I'll be back mom," He smiled sadly, "I'll be back for you."_

* * *

Casey gripped the steering wheel a little harder and tried to focus on the road. What had brought that memory up twice in a week, he couldn't understand.

Glancing at Chuck in shotgun, he recognized a similar look in the man's eyes.

Casey sighed, he had to get away from that, it hurt too much to remember.

And through all that had happened, he'd never been back to see his mother. He wasn't even sure if she believed he was alive anymore.

But it hadn't been safe in years to see her. There were too many people who would love to hurt Major John Casey by getting at his mother.

Casey took a deep breath and concentrated on the road.

* * *

Chuck watched them pass by more cows, silently taking up his tally again. But the game was mind numbingly boring enough that his thoughts did not stay with the cattle for long.

Catching a glimpse at Casey, Chuck recognised the look on the large agents face. It had been one he himself had worn a lot recently, that blank lost look.

Chuck wondered what could bring on such a look for Casey. Chuck sure knew what gave him that look.

* * *

5 yeas ago…

_He hadn't been able to afford a flight home, but then he never had. It seemed though that taking the train on this trip made him feel extra depressed._

_Getting off at the right train station, luggage in tow, he searched for her, the one woman who had always looked out for him, who would make everything better._

_"Chuck!" Her voice called gently._

_He wasn't sure how anyone could yell and it still seem gentle, but her voice did, at least at the moment it was._

_Holding tight to his luggage, he waited as she gracefully jogged to meet him._

_She smiled sadly, "Hi Chuck."_

_"Ellie," he burst into tears. So on occasion he was a bit of a wuss, but he didn't care, he had been holding it all in too long. The expulsion, the break-up, the loss of all his friends, no one believing him; it had all been too much._

_Feeling his sisters arms encircle him, he dropped his luggage he let his own arms squeeze her close._

_"Ellie, I didn't do it, I swear," He managed between tears._

_"I know Chuck," She whispered back, "I believe in you."_

* * *

She had always been the one to believe in him, the one to support and guide him. He realised now that he must have been a horrible brother to have, but she had seemed to understood, and cared anyways.

* * *

After arriving at the bunker and making sure the Intersect was inside safely, Casey drove out again. Making sure he was far enough from the compound, he did a sweep of his vehicle before pulling out a safe line cell phone and dialling a memorized but not often used number.

"Is this line clean?"

* * *

Chuck ate dinner with the other inhabitants quickly before going off on a search for Kirsty. She hadn't been at dinner, or any of her usual haunts.

After an hour of searching, Chuck gave up and headed back to his room. It had been a long day and he was exhausted.

Changing into white sleep clothes, he slipped into his cold bed and felt himself drift.

_"I believe in you."_

* * *

Sarah hung up the phone feeling a little frustrated. While she had been amazed that Casey had come to her with the information and a plan, she was a little surprised.

Casey did hate her after all.

But they both knew the other well enough to know the other was straight, and so Sarah understood why he had come to her. Especially if the corruption had gotten in as far as he said it had.

She had heard a lot of whisperings about a secret organisation within the government, but before now, she had dismissed it. Sure there would always be corrupt individuals, lurking around, but she had never put it past them to become organised.

Rubbing her face, she sighed. There were a few more people they needed to get on their side, both had agreed. Now though they both had to be cautious, and she couldn't help groaning at the pit in the bottom of her stomach; something very bad was about to happen, she could feel it.

* * *

Dialling the phone again, Casey groaned, this was not a call he wanted to make.

"Beckman."

"General."

"Agent Casey." Her voice was suspicious.

"It's a little past etiquette calling hours Major, this better be important."

Casey rolled his eyes, it wasn't like she ever left the building anyways, that woman was a workaholic.

"There is a matter of _grave_ important I must discuss with you, General."

"Oh?" How was it even when she spoke a question it still seemed like a statement?

"The Intersect uncovered some very disturbing information today."

"I see." Her voice was tired, "Code place Davidson, same time."

"G'night madam."

"Major." The line went dead.

* * *

Feedback is appreciated.


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